


Shattered

by fangirlfish (elew223)



Series: Shattered [1]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Angst, Childhood Friends, Childhood Sweethearts, F/M, Fluffy early chapters, Jon Snow as a federal agent, Jon Snow is a Targaryen, Lyanna is Not a Stark, Minor Catelyn Stark/Ned Stark, Minor Lyanna Stark/Rhaegar Targaryen, Minor Robb Stark/Margaery Tyrell, Mysteries need solving, R Plus L Equals J, Slow Burn, There are some background / minor relationship tags to acknowledge they exist, Unplanned Pregnancy, Westeros is a constitutional monarchy, minor Elia Martell / Rhaegar Targaryen, occasional use of psychic powers, slow burn like a slow cooker, tw: miscarriage
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-23
Updated: 2018-08-26
Packaged: 2019-04-26 15:55:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 16
Words: 48,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14405490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elew223/pseuds/fangirlfish
Summary: In this sci-fi AU, every child born in Westeros is tested at birth and has his or her genome submitted to a DNA database. The most basic test done is for the still misunderstood "Psi gene." Only a small percentage have an active Psi gene. What are the fates of these children?Even in a modernized Westeros, life goes on with as it always with joy and loss. Jon Snow has had ups and downs in his life. In a Westerosi version of the FBI called the WIA (Westerosi Investigation Agency), he has to solve mysteries while finding out there's a rising mystery right in front of him.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ALCzysz17](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ALCzysz17/gifts).



> I've been posting rough draft versions of this story on my fandom-related Tumblr. I consider this posting here on AO3 as a more refined version (but as always there's room to improve this story more. I just want to point out to people that this will be a slow burn kind of story. I can't say for sure how long this story will be, but I envision this story as being a lot of chapters.
> 
> I also request that if you HAVE read this story on Tumblr, so please avoid talking about the later chapters in the comments section. This is a self-edited story, so try not to be TOO harsh when criticizing the story.
> 
> As always the obligatory disclaimer: I am not George R.R. Martin. If you can recognize any character names, I don't own them.

_What is the future of humanity? That is the question that has been on the minds of philosophers and scientists for centuries. The discovery of the Psi gene was the turning point in our understanding of human evolution. What will be the future of humanity? We must look for it in the place we’ve always looked for it: in the faces of our children. What potentials can we unlock with the Psi gene? Only in time will we know what the Psi gene’s purpose is and why it exists._

~Excerpt from Foreseeing the Future: Human Evolution in Real Time. Professor Aemon Targaryen, Doctor of Philosophy~

* * *

Benjen tried his best to keep the kids entertained in the waiting room. Robb and Sansa were excited. Fortunately, little Arya was still snoozing in her stroller. He wasn’t sure what he’d do if he had to deal with three kids running around with too much nervous energy this morning.

A nurse approached Benjen. Robb and Sansa looked up from their coloring books at the coffee table. “Mr. Stark?”

“Yes?” Benjen focused on her.

The nurse smiled warmly at him before glancing at the kids. “Your brother and sister-in-law are ready for you. Room 520, down the corridor to the left,” she said pointing at the hallway.

Benjen returned her smile. “Thanks.” He quickly gathered up the kids and led them to Catelyn’s room.

“A baby!” Sansa piped up as she began lightly skipping down the hallway.

“I hope it’s a brother this time,” Robb said hurrying after his sister.

Benjen pushed the stroller right behind his older niece and nephew. “Okay, look for the 520 on the door, kids.”

“Okay!” the two older kids replied as they continued their trek.

Soon enough they arrived at an open door. They could see Ned sitting in a chair by the hospital bed. As they entered, they saw Catelyn holding a bundle of blankets. Both were beaming at Benjen and the kids.

“You weren’t too much trouble for your Uncle Ben, were you?” Ned asked his children.

They shook their heads. Robb and Sansa beamed at their father.

“They were fine, Ned. Even our troublesome Arya,” Benjen replied teasing his still sleeping niece.

Ned chuckled at this. Sansa climbed onto his lap, while Robb stood by his mother.

“What’s the baby’s name, Mama?” Robb asked.

Catelyn smiled at her eldest. “His name is Brandon.”

“Baby Bran,” Sansa said. She snuggled into Ned’s side as he wrapped an arm around her.

“Aye, that’ll work just fine. Bran he is.” Ned gave Sansa a kiss on the top of her auburn hair that left her giggling.

The tableau was briefly interrupted when Doctor Luwin entered. “Good morning.”

Everyone returned his greeting as he walked towards Catelyn. He patted Robb’s head before the boy moved towards his father giving the doctor some room. “It’ll take a few weeks for young Brandon’s DNA analysis to be completed, but we do have a couple preliminary results done.”

The adults grew silent at this. The Genetics Registry Act passed nearly thirty years ago. The result was a giant database that would eventually track the DNA of all citizens. It was a law that was necessary due to the appearance of “enhanced people” amongst other reasons. An additional law passed soon after the database was established requiring all children and newborn babies have genetic samples taken and included in the registry.

“And?” Ned asked somberly.

“It appears that Brandon also has the Psi gene,” replied the doctor.

Catelyn sighed as she looked at her new baby boy. She and Ned had a suspicion it might be the case. Their other children had the Psi gene as well. Both she and Ned were carriers and it appeared they passed both copies to all their children.

Ned frowned. He never liked the idea of his children, any of them, being scrutinized and studied by the scientific community. However, like other families with Psi genes, he didn’t have much of a choice in the matter. There were just too many unknowns and mysteries involved with Psi users. Robb was six and would be starting first grade this year. He already had preliminary tests on his Psi abilities and would have to undergo more testing once puberty began. That was the fate of all the Stark children it seemed.

Doctor Luwin could tell they had concerns. “I know it is difficult for you, but we’ve been trying to make the research as noninvasive as possible. At the same time, understanding what your children’s potential abilities are will help them and others like them in the future.”

“I don’t want them or anyone to be mistreated. I’m still fighting for that in parliament,” said Ned. As with anything that required monitoring and registration, there was potential for abuse. Already there were complaints and protests of bias against people with an active Psi gene.

“Of course, Senator Stark,” Doctor Luwin replied. It was hardly a secret that as more children had positive results for the Psi gene, there was growing concern and suspicion of what it really meant. Even now, there were debates raging from kitchen tables to halls of government what to do about these Psi users.

Doctor Luwin began flipping through the sheets on his clipboard. “We’ll have an appointment in a few weeks to discuss not only Brandon’s results, but also Robb’s. Sansa will be in kindergarten next year?”

Catelyn nodded. “Yes. I suppose we’ll have to think about her examination as well?”

“I’m afraid so. Before you know it, Arya and Brandon will have to be examined as well,” Doctor Luwin replied.

“One step at a time, Doctor. One step at a time,” Ned replied as he took a good long look at his family.

* * *

Lyanna Snow always prided herself for being an independent woman. She had a good paying job working at Senator Eddard Stark’s office as one of his many support staff. Despite being distantly related to him (some cousin once removed or whatever) she proved everyday that she was qualified for her job. The only awkwardness that happened around the office was when she discovered she was pregnant.

The gossip in the parliamentary offices was rampant during those early months. It didn’t take people long to figure out who her baby’s father was. Senator Stark (or Ned as he said she could call him) was very supportive and made it clear she was still a valued member of his staff despite the situation. Still the tabloids loved hyping up the scandal of a “lowly staffer” fraternizing with the very handsome and very married Senator Rhaegar Targaryen. Despite the scandal, Elia Martell-Targaryen didn’t demand a divorce when it was made public. Senator Targaryen openly accepted responsibility and paternity of her baby.

Lyanna cursed herself for her foolishness. She wasn’t stupid enough to believe that one night of passion would convince Rhaegar to abandon his wife or children for her. She was stupid she hadn’t been taking birth control on time. Their one night stand happened around the time of Tywin Lannister’s election as Hand of the King for his third five-year term. Helping Ned organize one of the many parties and dinners being held at King’s Landing for the event occupied her time and stressed her out. Senator Targaryen had been very subtle with his flirting, but it wasn’t until the morning after that she realized he was genuinely interested in her. Even now seven years later, he seemed to be interested in her still. It was confusing to say the least.

Her precious boy, Jon Eddard Snow, was quietly coloring pages in his coloring book as they waited at The Blue Rose Café near Parliament Hall. Jon had Rhaegar’s nose and a similar smile, but he was every bit a Stark-Snow. Lyanna’s family was an offshoot of the Starks a few generations back. They looked like Starks and she was pleased her little Jonny looked like a Stark.

It was a surprise however that Jon was born with the Psi gene. Like many people with First Men ancestry she was a Psi gene carrier, but hadn’t thought that Rhaegar might be one as well. Not with the reputation of House Targaryen at least. She considered herself fortunate there were laws in the books that banned the usage of children’s images in media without express permission by their parents or guardians. This prevented his image from being printed or placed on the internet without severe fines or lawsuits. Not looking like a silver-haired, purple eyed Targaryen helped hide his paternity.

Soon they weren’t alone. “Good morning, Lyanna,” a soft, warm voice said.

Lyanna glanced up and her heart thumped a little faster much to her chagrin. “Rhaegar.”

Rhaegar took the empty seat opposite her and Jon. He smiled as he saw Jon finishing up a page with his green crayon. “He’s growing so fast.”

“They all do. He’ll be starting first grade this fall. He’s going to be in the same class as Robb Stark. It made him happy when he found out,” Lyanna replied. She gently ran her fingers through her son’s hair. “Jonny, dear?”

Jon looked up and put his crayon down upon seeing his father. Jon was solemn and nodded politely at Rhaegar. “Hello, Father.”

“Hello, Jon. Have you had breakfast yet?” Rhaegar asked.

Jon shook his head. “Just some milk earlier. Mama said we’ll eat here.”

Rhaegar nodded. “You can pick whatever you like on the menu, Jon. It’s my treat.”

Lyanna frowned slightly. “You don’t have to do that, Rhaegar.”

Rhaegar looked at her sadly. “It’s nothing, Lyanna. It’s the least I can do for the both of you. You deserve it.” He handed a menu to Jon.

Lyanna resisted the urge sigh at this. Rhaegar was always like this every time they would meet. He’d do little things, almost like he was her husband. But he wasn’t and would never be. She looked at Jon, who was starting to look at the menu.

 “I’d like pancakes and scrambled eggs,” Jon said after looking at the menu.

Rhaegar got a waiter’s attention and they all placed their orders. Soon enough the waiter left and it was just the three members of a sort of family together at the table. He looked tenderly at Jon, who was watching his father. “I heard Ned’s wife had her baby.”

Jon nodded with a smile at this. “I saw baby Bran. He’s cute. He looks like Robb and he smiles a lot. Sansa is happy about the baby too. Arya pokes him sometimes.”

Rhaegar chuckles at this. “Rhaenys used to do that to Aegon too.”

Lyanna felt a bit cold at the reminder of his other children. “How are they, your children? Your wife?”

Rhaegar cleared his throat. “They are well. Elia will be out of town on a cruise of the Summer Isles with Ashara Dayne and a few other girlfriends of hers. She’s planning to take the children along too. She said it would be for two weeks.”

Lyanna arched an eyebrow. “That’s nice for her. I hope that I can take Jon on a trip too. Perhaps up to the North to visit his other relatives. I think I’ll take him during his Winter Solstice break.”

Rhaegar frowned at this. Before he could speak the waiter returned with their orders. After he left, they began cutting into their breakfasts and started eating. It was about five minutes into the meal before Rhaegar spoke again.

“I had hoped to spend more time with Jon and you this month,” Rhaegar said as he cut into a waffle.

 “Can we go to the zoo? There’s lots of animals. Robb and his family are going next weekend,” Jon asked hopefully.

“Finish your breakfast, Jon. We’ll work things out with your, father,” Lyanna replied calmly before sipping her coffee. Rhaegar did this all the time. He waited for Elia to be out of town to properly spend alone time with Jon. It frustrated her in many ways that he was trying to be involved and yet did it in a way that looked like he was sneaking around. They were a dirty secret to hide from his wife. This is despite the fact Elia knew about their short time affair. But this wasn’t the time to confront him. This was a time for Jon.

Jon nodded as he continued eating his breakfast. Jon was perfect in her eyes. Though she knew he was too serious at times. Perhaps it was the realization that his family situation wasn’t the same as everyone else’s appeared to be. Robb Stark was his best friend and the Starks were the ideal family. A mother and father married and raising the children in a loving home was what Jon knew their family was like. All she could hope for was that Rhaegar didn’t break Jon’s heart.

“I was hoping that we could have a family dinner together. Elia thought Jon should meet his brother and sister properly. Would you be available anytime soon?” Rhaegar said after finishing another bite of his breakfast.

Lyanna glanced at Jon, who was finishing off his eggs. Lyanna couldn’t deny that was true. Jon did deserve to know his siblings even if they couldn’t live together or have the same kind of relationship that his best friend had with his family. She turned back to Rhaegar. “What’s a good night for you and Elia?”

Rhaegar smiled. “Next week?”

“Alright,” Lyanna replied. She could only hope things would be alright.

* * *

Jon Arryn carefully watched the other men at the table around him. It wasn’t an official business lunch and was intended to be a more casual event amongst the various senators. However Jon Arryn wasn’t a fool and knew this really was a business lunch in all but name. As current Hand of the King, he was given the head of the table. Robert Baratheon currently president of the senators sat the other end.

As the president of the Senate, Robert was the leader of the lords who held title of Senator. Robert and the leaders of the different regional senators met with the Hand and the King at least once a month to discuss various issues. Despite the fact Robert was the current president, everyone knew Tywin Lannister was the one really in charge. He was clever enough to make sure he didn’t keep the leadership title for too long. Encouraging Robert and other senators to run for President of the Senate, while being a close advisor, gave him influence. Inevitably Tywin would become president again after Robert’s term of five years was done.

Tywin sat to the right of his son-in-law, Robert. He calmly and efficiently sliced his steak into even strips. He lightly dabbed each strip onto steak sauce before chewing. He alternated eating the steak with mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli. Tywin casually glanced at the others around the table.

Jon knew Tywin had an agenda today and he was going to make sure he kept on his toes at this lunch. He was about halfway through his barbecue salmon when Robert spoke up.

“We should send Ned and Cat a congratulation present. A second baby boy. Grand news,” Robert boomed.

Jon nodded. Technically young baby Brandon was his nephew through his wife, Lysa Tully. “I’ve called Ned and his wife the other day. Of course knowing him, he’ll be reading and keeping up to date with work until he returns next week,” he replied.

“Man works too damned hard. He needs to live a little,” Robert scoffed before taking a huge bite into another rib. He cleaned the meat off with a small pop noise. “Can’t even remember the last time he took a proper vacation with his happy brood.”

Jon Arryn was too used to Robert’s laid back attitude. If he wasn’t chosen as president through Tywin’s machinations, he’d avoid attending parliamentary sessions as much as possible. As much as Jon loved Robert like a son, he couldn’t help but wish Robert had given the Baratheon senate seat to his rigid, but responsible brother, Stannis. “Well I commend him for his strong work ethic. It’s a trait his father gave him and he’s a man of his word. Still I agree he should find more time to relax while his family is young and they can enjoy life more.”

“Ah family is a truly wonderful thing. I’m pleased to be with my own family and find few pleasures in life as beautiful as being surrounded by them,” Senator Wyman Manderly replied with a chuckle. He heartily ate his roasted chicken. Jon Arryn knew Manderly as a jovial man, but he is also a fierce Northern senator and a particularly shrewd advisor for Ned Stark.

Tywin finished drinking from his glass of water before speaking. “I’ve heard the newest Stark has an active Psi gene.”

Everyone grew quiet at that with only the occasional clink of knife and fork on plate. It was unfortunate to the eyes of many people to have a child with an active Psi gene. There were still too many unknowns despite thirty years of research.

“Odd that a family like Stark’s manages to produce four children with an active Psi gene,” said Senator Damon Marbrand, who sat only two seats away from Tywin. A Westerlander senator like Marbrand could be counted on to bolster any observations made by Tywin.

Jon cleared his throat before cutting into his salmon with the side of his fork. “It is an odd coincidence, but hardly strange. After all any set of siblings are likely to inherit all sorts of traits that are in all the siblings. As I recall, the Lannisters have had blond hair and green eyes for generations have they not?” Jon Arryn observed casually.

Tywin glanced at Jon out of the corner of his eye before replying. “Yes, but hardly surprising since the Westerlands are mostly fair haired. However, having blond hair and green eyes doesn’t mean that the possessor of those traits could potentially have an advantage over everyone else.”

“Ah,” thought Jon Arryn. This was Tywin’s agenda this time. While Jon Arryn had his own concerns about the growing numbers of Psi users being born, Tywin’s interest in the issue was something that worried him. Jon couldn’t help but cynically wonder how Lannister would react if one of Cersei’s children had been born as a Psi user.

“That is true from a hypothetical stand point. However there are already tight regulations in place tracking existing Psi users. Also there are systems in place that require additional training and monitoring for Psi users as well. Anything more restrictive will result in major push back,” Jon replied. He continued with his meal. After finishing off another bite of his meal, he added. “We are a modern society that must respect the rights of all citizens. Wouldn’t want our government to be accused of anything unsavory, wouldn’t you all agree?”

There were mutterings with some nods in agreement at that. Conversation drifted off to less serious topics. Tywin merely looked at Jon before turning to his food and occasionally Robert and his other cronies around him. Yes, Tywin Lannister will require some monitoring.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 8/5/18 - I've done some changes to this chapter compared to the original version posted back in April (!). I've fixed a few minor things, but the most notable change is that I added a new section to the original chapter.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We have a small time jump from the previous chapter by three years. We get a bit more world building and we get peak into the young lives of Jon Snow and his Stark friends.

**FIVE FINANCIAL STARS TO WATCH** ( _Steel Street Journal_ )

by Gerold Silversmith

  1. Petyr Baelish



Petyr Baelish, son of Myron Baelish, Esq., currently manages 20 million dragons in hedge funds. As a junior partner of investment firm, Waters, Corbray, & Hersy, Mr. Baelish is able to manage the investment portfolios under his watch with great success. He predicted the recent expansion of Redwyne Wineries’ successful brand, Arbor Gold.

When asked the secret of his success, he said, “A wise investor knows to always keep an eye out for the next opportunity. Recognizing opportunities to rise up in the world truly is a unique skill to be encouraged. Climbing up the ladder is a struggle, but always be ready for the chance to rise up the rungs.”

* * *

Senator Eddard Stark carefully observed everyone in the committee room. They had been debating for weeks on end over the issue of labor union protests. The “Free Folk Movement,” as the media dubbed it, had been growing long before this, but things were getting into crisis stage. Everyone in the room had differing opinions and interests in the whole situation. He hoped some sort of agreement would be reached soon.

It all began with wage negotiations with members of the United Miners of Westeros union. The union demanded not only an increase to their wages and benefits, but also improvements to work safety. The Lannisters’ Casterly Rock Mining Corporation was the largest employer for the union. Negotiations broke down after the Lannisters refused to increase the wages ten percent.

Then the various factory unions from the Guild of Metal Workers to the United Federation of Textile Workers began making wage increase demands of their own. Mance Rayder was a local union leader in the Guild of Metal Workers. He was both clever and charming. They were the right combination to make a leader and he quickly gained media attention when news organizations wanted to interview the unions. Mance was the perfect spokesperson for not only his union, but the various other unions that started protesting.

“Unchain workers, free hard working folk!” was a catch phrase spreading amongst the many protesters and their supporters. From there the mass labor protesting gained its name “The Free Folk” movement.

Both houses of parliament, the Senate and the House of Representatives were struggling with how to solve the crisis. What had started as a regional private sector labor dispute was turning into a national crisis with production from mines, factories, and even food producers were being affected. King Aerys demanded that his Hand, Senator Jon Arryn, and the rest of Parliament figured out a solution before things got worse.

As usual, Ned's friend President of the Senate Robert Baratheon wasn’t there. “You can damn well figure it out yourselves!” was the last thing he said about matter. He never was particularly good at “small” issues. He was somewhere in the Summer Isles on his annual summer retreat while everyone else in the sub-committee and the rest of parliament had to sort out the messes he continuously ignored. Ned wasn’t sure why Robert even bothered running for president of the Senate to begin with. He was not likely to win a re-election if Robert was even planning to do so.

Intelligence Director Varys was quietly listening to the proceedings occasionally interjecting with additional information to clarify or correct statements by the other participants. Varys’s intelligence network provided valuable information on what the various union leaders were planning or discussing.

Senator Tywin Lannister’s thoughts on the “Free Folk” was predictable enough. He was more than willing to have everyone in charge of the movement arrested. “They’ve been at this long enough. Production is behind schedule and the economy has slowed down because they’re holding everything to a standstill. They should do their jobs or else there are plenty of people who will gladly do the work.”

Ned couldn’t completely ignore Tywin’s point. After all, there was unemployment and some of them could do the work, but it wasn’t right depriving people of their livelihoods when more negotiations could solve the problem.

“That may be true, but it’s hardly fair to pit one group of workers against another group of workers. There should be a more reasonable solution than that. The more reasonable solution of course is that we should go back to the negotiation table and continuing talking like civilized human beings,” Senator Royce replied.

“At a certain point, talking won’t work and action needs to be taken. These so called ‘Free Folk’ should learn their place is back on the job and get things back to normal,” Senator Tarly said with a slight growl. There was mumbling of agreement.

Ned took a deep breath before speaking. “We shouldn’t lose hope or patience that something reasonable and mutually beneficial can be reached. We need to find a compromise that will at least get things moving along for at least the short term. It’ll provide some good will on both sides and leave us some ability for longer term agreements.”

Senator Cortney Penrose nodded. “That may be the case, but will they be willing to come back to the negotiating table after last week’s failure?”

Ned grimaced. The last attempts at negotiations didn’t go very well, but then again it was a mistake having Representative “Black” Walder Frey amongst the negotiating party. “Mance Rayder isn’t a fool. He’s a very clever man considering he’s gotten more than twenty unions to join in the protesting or at least supporting the main protesting unions. It’s clear that he’s open to negotiation, but we’re not offering enough of a compromise that even the most persuadable members are willing to accept.”

Senator Lannister arched an eyebrow. “And you think you can accomplish this?”

Ned frowned at the challenge. “I am prepared to speak to Rayder at the very least.”

The session ended not long afterwards with Ned somehow ending up being the one to reach out to the leader of the “Free Folk.” Hopefully things will work out. In the meantime, he had to get home. He had a loving wife and a house full of children waiting for him.

* * *

It wasn’t the first time that Jon Snow stayed over at the Stark family home for a sleepover with Robb. He had been doing this at least once a month for as long as he could remember. Robb Stark was his best friend hands down. At times they were more than just best friends. They were like brothers too. In a way Jon became another brother for Robb’s siblings, though there were times recently Sansa looked at him a bit funny. Not “ha ha!” funny, but just differently from before. Her cheeks got pink occasionally when he and Robb agreed to play one of her games with her.

“So what are we playing tonight?” asked Robb. He was in a generous mood and so was Jon. Sometimes Sansa’s games were too mushy with their princes saving princesses stories.

Sansa beamed at them and Arya too. “It’s called ‘Quest for the Golden Cup.’”

“What’s it about?” Arya asked curiously. She was always interested in Sansa’s games if there were adventures happening. She disliked those silly fairy tales Sansa liked. Jon wasn’t a fan of them either. Nope, not Jon. He was too old for fairy tales.

Sansa pulled a teddy bear out of her toy chest. She had it dressed up with a black mask and a matching black cape. “Lord Beargarth is the lord of Castle Darkheart. He has stolen the Golden Cup. If you drink from the Golden Cup, you can heal any injury or sickness!”

Jon was impressed with the seven year-old ginger. Her stories were getting more varied each time they played a game.

It seemed Robb was too. “So who are we all playing?” he asked eagerly.

Sansa pulled out another plush toy. This time it was her toy rabbit, which was also wearing a black cape, but instead of a black mask he had a pointy hat with stars and moons on it. “This is the dark wizard Bunniber. He works with Beargarth creating spells and curses to stop anyone from getting the cup. So we need two knights, a good wizard, and a sneaky thief.”

Arya frowned looking at Sansa and then the stuffed toys. “I want to be a bad guy. It’s not fun fighting against plushy friends.”

Sansa huffed. “Fine. You can be Beargarth’s friend, Captain Arya Overlord.”

Robb and Jon grinned at Arya’s gleeful cackle. She hurried and grabbed a toy light saber from the toy chest. “Ha ha! Prepare for your doom!” Arya called out pointing the light saber in the boys’ direction.

“We’ll see who will meet their doom first!” Robb said bravely. He grabbed two more light sabers for Jon and himself.

Sansa pulled out some costumes for everyone from the costume box. In less than five minutes the game was underway with everyone enjoying themselves. Jon didn’t have time to think about why they had to cross the Mambo River, the Valley of Thenn, or the Mountains of Forgetfulness to reach Castle Darkheart. He only knew that they were actually having fun even if it was a little silly being threatened by a teddy bear.

“You’ll never get the Golden Cup foolish knights!” Sansa said with as gruff a voice as she could. She was moving Lord Beargarth about as they were approaching “Castle Darkheart” otherwise known as Robb’s bed.

“Yes we will. We’ll defeat you!” Robb replied challenging the villainous teddy bear.

“Oh yeah? You’ll have to get through me first!” called out Captain Arya.

Soon there was a three way battle between Ser Robb Stark and Ser Jon Snow against Captain Arya. The sword fight was very exciting and challenging in order to avoid smacking one another too hard. To this day no one can remember how it happened, but a toy light saber soon flew into the air towards the lamp on Robb’s bedside table.

Sansa gasped and cried out, “No!” Her arm was stretched out towards the flying light saber. Before anyone knew what happened, the light saber flew into Sansa’s hand.

Catelyn Stark soon appeared at the door and looked at the children. “What’s the matter? Something happened, Sansa?”

All four kids were staring at the light saber in Sansa’s hand still utterly silent. That was until Arya looked up at her mother with wide eyes. “Mama! Sansa did magic! Real magic!”

Catelyn stared at her elder daughter. Sansa was still staring at the light saber as tears were forming in her eyes. She turned to look up at her mother. “Mommy…”

At that moment, Jon wanted to give her a hug. He couldn’t because he was trying to understand this new mystery. He could only watch Sansa being held by her mother as she began sobbing. But why was Sansa so sad? Wasn’t it cool she could do magic like she pretended in their games?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I intended to have update this story on Sunday nights just for the sake of updating this on a consistent schedule. Unfortunately there were issues last night with AO3, which many of you probably experienced. Hence I'm kind of late. Once again I'm happy with the continued support from Alczysz17. You're just awesome and I am happy to have your feedback.
> 
> You might notice tags are constantly changing. And by changing I mean I keep adding them. In order to minimize spoilers, I'm going to gradually add more tags as new chapters are updated. I know it won't really help for people that find this story later on, but well it's my attempt to make things kind of fun.
> 
> Also I've adjusted the settings to this story where now I've created a series and I added Alczysz17 as a co-creator. I'll only say that I do have some ideas for outtakes / side stories in the future that I will be working on. Also... there might be a contribution / collaboration happening. In fact if anyone has suggestions as to what side stories you might be interested in reading, I'll take it into consideration and possibly write it! So stay tuned!
> 
> ~4/30/18~


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a mix of slice of life along with some world building. We're going to see more about the lives of Jon and Starks. We'll also be a glimpse of the bigger world in this version of Westeros. I did warn you guys in the tags there's a slow burn to this. But don't fear there is a point to it. Enjoy!

**A PARENTS’ GUIDE TO THE PSI GENE AND PSI ABILITIES**

SECTION I – WHAT TO DO ABOUT MY PSI USER CHILD

Your newborn has tested positive for the Psi gene. This guide will explain what you will need to know in order to raise a healthy, well-adjusted child with Psi abilities. The information contained within this book is based on the latest and most up to date research as of the publishing date.

The origin of the Psi gene is still a mystery to this day. It is hypothesized that the first appearance of this mutation was approximately three hundred years earlier based on the latest DNA research. Thus far, a large percentage of Psi gene carriers have First Men ancestry. It is estimated about twenty percent of the Westerosi population are carriers of the Psi gene. What results in a child being born with Psi abilities are when both parents are carriers of the Psi gene.

If you and your partner are both carriers of the Psi gene, each child you have will together has at least twenty-five percent chance of becoming a Psi user, fifty percent chance of becoming a Psi gene carrier, and a twenty-five percent chance of not carrying the gene at all. Recent research has indicated that there is a possible connection between certain family bloodlines and the increased likelihood of children not only inheriting the genes, but also having Psi abilities.

* * *

Ned cleared his throat as he and his associates got settled at the table. On the other side of the same table were Mance Rayder and his associates. These were the leaders and accepted representatives of the different striking unions. Ned was confident that he could make some progress even if things didn’t get solved right away. That was the key point goal. As long as they can get at least a short-term resolution that would buy everyone involved time to get something longer term done. That was after all the key to compromise and it was something he knew well.

“We all know why we’re here so let’s just get to the point. Your members want more pay and more benefits. Fair enough and understandable. At the same turn there’s a limit to how much all the business owners can afford without losing too much profit to make it worth the effort of running the business to start off with. This in turns means people lose jobs. Perhaps some businesses could close if they were regular private sector companies. Problem is that a lot of these companies are far too important for the function of Westerosi society. Which brings us to this table. That just about sums the situation up, wouldn’t you say?” said Ned.

Mance nodded. “That just about sums it up. So I suppose we go back and forth about what you’ll offer and what we want and then leave this room unsatisfied.”

“So cynical, Mance?” Ned asked with a slight bit of amusement.

“As long as those money grubber profiteers make money of the sweat and hard working backs of my people, we’ll never be satisfied with the way things are. No one at this table is stupid, Stark. You’re going to offer us peanuts compared to what we want. So ask yourself, Stark. Are we really going to get anywhere today?”

That was the question of the day.

* * *

Lyanna Snow dropped Jon off at the Stark house while she ran out to do some errands. She was going to have dinner with his father that evening. It was a very odd situation, but he knew there wasn’t much to do about it. It had been a few weeks since the last time Jon had slept over at the Stark house. Robb had to finish some chores before he’d be allowed to play with him. Arya and Bran were both taking naps as they were still too young to stay awake for long. They were both grumps when they were too tired, particularly Arya.

The one person who wasn’t occupied with something or other was Sansa. Jon didn’t like the idea of Sansa being alone. Sansa was apparently in the backyard by herself. Jon made his way to the backyard. They were within sight of the kitchen window where Aunt Cat was baking pies. The yard was enclosed with a tall fence. Birds were chirping from the nearby trees. Flowers were blooming all around and there among them was Sansa humming as she scribbled in a notebook. Jon approached her making a little noise so he didn’t surprise her. He didn’t like scaring anyone even by accident.

“Whatcha’ doing?” Jon called out.

Sansa looked up. She offered him a tiny smile. “Just writing a story,” she said with a tiny blush. She blushes more often lately. He had to admit it made her look cute like those princesses Sansa liked reading about in her story books.

Jon perked up at this. He knew how much Sansa liked scribbling in her notebook with stories. “What kind of story is it?”

Sansa carefully put the pencil in her notebook before closing it to focus on Jon. “I’ve been writing down ‘Quest for the Golden Cup.’ It was a good story don’t you think?”

Jon nodded. It was a good adventure before… it happened. Jon took a seat beside her. “Are you okay? You were sad last time.” Jon couldn’t help but worry. Sansa was always so happy at least when Arya wasn’t doing something that annoyed her.

Sansa nodded. “I’m okay I guess. Mommy and Daddy say I have to see a special teacher.”

“A special teacher?” Jon asked.

Sansa nodded again. “Daddy says I need a special teacher to help me with my powers. I had to get the teacher so they’ll let me stay here.”

Jon’s eyes widened. “What do you mean so they’ll you stay here?”

Sansa looked sadly at Jon. “If I didn’t get a special teacher, I’d have to leave home and go somewhere else. The law says someone like me with extra powers have to go somewhere and get training and stuff.”

Jon couldn’t comprehend the idea of his friend having to leave her home and her family behind. “I’m glad you’re still here, Sansa. Everyone would miss you and I’m sure you’d miss everyone.”

Sansa’s cheeks got a little pinker as she smiled at him. “Would you miss me? If I went away, I mean.”

Jon could feel his face get a little warm at this. He wasn’t sure why but he could feel it. “Of course I would. It wouldn’t be the same without you. You’re my friend.”

Sansa’s smile widened. “Thank you, Jon. You’re my friend too.” She soon wrapped her arms around him and offered him a warm hug.

Jon wrapped his arms around her as well. Hugs solved a lot of things his mother said. He was convinced at this moment that she was right.

* * *

**LABOR UNION NEGOTIATIONS UNDERWAY** (Westeros National Post)

By Willem Fairmarket

Labor unions continue their protests and boycotts for a third week in a row. Colloquially known as “The Free Folk Movement,” the widespread collectively protesting by various labor unions has slowed down the economy of Westeros as a whole. From mining in the Westerlands to the factories of the North, protests have been spreading.

“Production has gone down significantly much to the detriment of not only our company’s bottom line, but also hurts a lot of other people. Companies that are dependent on the metals that we dig up and process in the refineries can’t produce. This ultimately will hurt all consumers in Westeros,” said Casterly Industries CEO Kevan Lannister. Mr. Lannister is the brother of Hand of the King, Senator Tywin Lannister.

On the other side of the picket line, a lot of workers have been feeling frustrated with their lot in life. The typical laborer in many of the unions are well paid, but the bigger issue appears to be that the non-union workers are barely above minimum wage. Along with that, there have been consistent problems regards to benefits like healthcare. At the same time, they’re optimistic that the protests will result in not only better conditions and benefits for workers, but better production in the future.

“We’re not only protesting for our own benefits. We want to make sure all workers get a better wages and providing better lives for their families. Everyone should be treated with dignity and given a decent wage. No one should have to choose between paying bills, buying food, or medication. Alas that’s how it is for too many people in this country. We’re trying to change that. Maybe we can’t get the perfection solution, but ever step is progress,” said unofficial protest leader, Mance Rayder.

What about the average consumer and their thoughts on all this? At the primary shopping district of King’s Landing, there were plenty of shoppers going about their day.

“I just hope things get settled soon. I totally get wanting better pay and better benefits, but at a certain point the lack of production means shortages of all sorts of things that I need, my family needs, and my neighbors need. Why can’t people just learn to compromise?” asked Mrs. Mya Smith of Fleabottom.

* * *

Sansa was happy to see everyone together at the dinner table. Her father was actually home unlike how things had been most days of the week for the past few months. She knew he was busy doing things that Senators were expected to do, but it wasn’t something she liked knowing he wasn’t home to be with them.

Benjen Stark was here as well and so was his girlfriend, Dacey Mormont. Dacey was tall as her uncle and she had a sharp mind and was very sporty. She was always telling jokes to entertain them and sometimes smirked when she found something very amusing. She worked at father’s office just like Jon’s mother did.

Catelyn Stark had made a delicious steak and fish dinner. They had some pasta with tomato sauce and delicious salad as well. It was a great dinner and Sansa was pleased for her mother’s sake. She sat next to Robb, who sat next to Jon. Jon was staying overnight again. His parents were having dinner together and likely wouldn’t be coming home until late at night. Jon was always happy to sleep over at the Stark house. He loved eating the food and he loved playing with all the Stark kids.

Arya was actually behaving herself and using her knife and fork to slice into her steak. It probably helped when her parents threatened to take away TV access for a week if she caused anymore trouble this weekend, especially at dinner tonight. Bran was very adorable carefully poking his food with special fork and then putting food in his mouth. He was getting better at eating his own food independently. He showed his displeasure at being fed a couple months ago and showed more skill and neatness than Arya.

“Are we playing a game tonight?” Jon asked. Sansa hadn’t noticed Jon was looking at her until he spoke up. She had been carefully cutting into her steak and making sure she was going to pick up some pasta too.

“If you want. I have a couple ideas for a new adventure if you really want to play,” Sansa said. She hoped her ideas would be good. She made sure they wouldn’t be too “mushy” for the boys or Arya come to think of it.

Jon nodded. “It’ll be fun. Right Robb?”

Robb nodded in agreement. “Yeah it’ll be a lot of fun. Arya will want to play too.”

“I want to play!” Arya said after she swallowed the last bit of her steak.

“Okay then, we’ll play something after dinner,” Sansa said before working on the bit of fish on her plate. She was chewing on fish when she started paying more attention to what the adults were talking about.

“I’ve been suspecting for a while now that Arya and Bran do have abilities,” Catelyn said.

“What did they do?” Ned asked as he scooped more pasta for Benjen since the bowl was in front of him.

Catelyn took a drink of water before explaining further. “They were both playing a ball in the backyard in recent days. They both can catch the ball too well for children their age. It was very noticeable with Bran. He seemed to know where Arya’s throw would end up.”

Benjen frowned slightly before taking his plate back from Ned. “Are you sure that’s the case? You won’t know for sure until they get properly test, Cat.”

Catelyn sighed. “I just don’t know what to think. All the research said that even though Ned and I are gene carriers, the chances of having a child with abilities are only twenty-five percent. Yet we have two children with powers already.”

Sansa frowned slightly as she chewed her dinner. “Is that bad, Mommy?”

Everyone looked at Sansa. “I’m sorry Sansa. I didn’t mean for it to sound like that is a bad thing. I just want to make sure that you and your siblings are going to be okay, darling. You know that, right?” Catelyn said as she gently ran her fingers in Sansa’s hair. Catelyn looked at her other children. “I want to make sure all of you are happy and safe. That means knowing what is the best thing to take care of all of you. I love you all very much. Your father feels the same way.”

Ned nodded. “Your powers require training that we don’t know. It’s to keep you all safe and know how control them. That’s why Jon and Robb can’t join the team sports at school.”

It was a great disappointment to both boys that they couldn’t join the football team with other boys their age. Since they were both Psi Level 1, there was concerns that the boys might use their powers to play better than the other kids. They played tennis and took swimming lessons. It wasn’t the same as being able to play with the other boys though. Sansa couldn’t help but start to wonder if there were going to be things she wouldn’t be allowed to do because of her powers too.

* * *

Catelyn sighed as she got ready for bed. Ned was already on his side reading a book. It wasn’t often that Ned was able to be home at this hour these days. If there was one thing she loved about her husband, it was that he was so dependable and he was responsible. He was trying to do right by people who are unfortunate. If only that didn’t mean he’d be gone from his family so much. It couldn’t be helped she supposed. Not that it made things easier for the children, particularly Bran and Arya. They were still young and missed their father a lot. Ned felt the same way towards them.

Catelyn climbed into bed. Ned put his book down and turned to smile at her. “I do miss the children a good deal.”

“It was good you were able to come home to dinner tonight. Were the negotiations really that difficult this week?”

Ned sighed as he wrapped and arm around her. “Aye, they were. We reached some sort of agreement that’ll be put to vote by the different unions. It’s not perfect, but the union reps agreed to the terms we’ve settled on. They just need the members to vote to make things official. We just need things to go back to normal at least a year and then we can go back to the negotiating table.”

Catelyn kissed him and gently touched his face. “I’m glad it’s over. We have missed you a great deal. We also have a birthday party to host next weekend.”

Ned chuckled. “Aye I haven’t forgotten. Arya is very excited about it and has kept talking about it for days on end now.”

“She doesn’t say so, but I suspect her birthday wish was going to be making sure you came to the party,” Catelyn said.

Ned sighed at this. He had missed a great deal. Sansa had accidentally discovered her psi abilities. Having telekinesis was truly a rare ability. It was currently estimated that only fifteen percent of the population had the psi gene, while the number of carriers like he and Catelyn were higher. It was a matter of time before all four of their children would demonstrate abilities.

Robb and Jon Snow were still thick as thieves. They were both registered as Level 1 Psi users meaning their normal five senses were heightened to beyond “base level” humans. It was standard procedure that any children with Psi genes had to be tested before starting first grade. They had to run a gamut of very basic tests. They were placed in a room where they had equipment would shoot soft foams balls at the children. The children were also wearing eye masks and headphones so they couldn’t pick up any visual or audio cues. If the children could avoid being hit by the balls using only their powers, then they were considered Level 1 users. A child like Sansa was very rare not only because of how uncommon telekinesis is, but children her age rarely demonstrate such an advanced power.

“It’s very possible that Sansa could be a Level 5 Psi user if her abilities develop. However she does require specialized training and monitoring as I hope you and your wife are aware of, Senator Stark,” the doctor explained after testing Sansa.

Sansa, like Robb, passed the ball dodging test with a high result 95% like her brother. She didn’t manage to make anything move with her mind, but the doctors didn’t seem too surprised. However they made it clear that before she started high school, she would have to do extensive testing to determine what the full extent of her powers is.

 “I can only hope to be home more often, but we’ll have to see what happens. In the meantime, let’s take it one day at a time,” Ned replied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's not easy writing this story as I thought it would be. I'm going to be working on chapter 9, so I have plenty of material to post on here after some additional editing and writing. Actually pretty soon I'll be posting some side stories and outtakes. I do suggest that if you're interested to please subscribe to the Shattered series.
> 
> Incidentally I'm open to suggestions for side stories. If there's any content in these chapters you'd be interested in reading more about, please leave a comment and I'll take it under consideration. So stay tuned! Thanks for your continued support everyone.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a little bit of world building, but mostly some slice of life moments with Jon and Sansa. I hope people that were curious about Jon's family life enjoys some more of the dynamics that have happened by this point in his life.

**A PARENTS’ GUIDE TO THE PSI GENE AND PSI ABILITIES**

SECTION II – LEVELS OF PSI ABILITIES

Research indicates that the different types of Psi abilities are extensions and evolutions of lower level abilities. Currently scientists have classified Psi abilities based on these observations.

Level 1 – Heightened extrasensory perception. The ability to detect movement without the use of the basic five senses indicates that a person possesses Level 1 Psi abilities of this nature. Typically this ability is tested through the use of blindfolds and sound-dampening headphones. The potential Level 1 Psi user should be able to use their abilities to maneuver through physical challenges. The inability to use vision or hearing will force the potential Psi user to depend on their powers to pass the exams. All Psi users have this ability.

Level 2 – Precognition. Precognition has been determined as an evolved version of extrasensory perception. This is the ability to receive visions as brief as sudden “flashes” or “mirages” to dreams of great detail of a future event. A Psi User will be identified as Level 2, if they are able to use such visions or dreams to successfully predict future events.

Level 3 – Empathy. This is the ability to sense and know the moods or emotions of another without the use of the basic five senses. Empathy is typically defined as “the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.” However in the context of the Psi user, empathy is a true ability to understand and share the feelings of another. The Level 3 Psi user can use their abilities to not only detect emotions of others, but they can project their own emotions or influence moods.

Level 4 – Telepathy. This is the ability to sense the thoughts of others. This ability also includes projection of the user’s thoughts into another’s mind. Advanced forms of telepathy can also include influence and manipulation of thoughts.

Level 5 – Telekinesis. This is the ability to manipulate matter through a Psi user’s powers and without use of physical manipulation or other conventional means. A classic example of telepathy usage is moving an object using only through mental concentration. The Psi user wouldn’t be using his or her hands to move the object or construct a device or tool to move the object.

* * *

Sansa liked her bedroom. It was the perfect bedroom in her eyes. It was beautiful with the soft shades of white and pink throughout the room. She had a tall bookcase that was only partly filled because she didn’t have too many books just yet. The lower shelves had her favorite storybooks that her parents would read to her at bedtime.

Her toy chest was filled with her dear plushy friends of various sizes, colors, and animal forms. Her particular favorites were of course on her bed. Her brown teddy bear, Ser Berry Stark, sat on her bed leaning on the pillows. To his side was his best friend, Bunnifer Stark, a gray and white rabbit with a white, cotton tail. She also had a small, white unicorn with a rainbow colored mane and tail named Jonquil.

Sansa sat at her desk writing in her notebook. It was her special notebook she wrote her stories in. She was proud to say this was actually her third storytelling notebook. The others were filled and in her desk drawer. Granted the ones from her first notebook were childish in nature, but she was pleased to see her progress. After all what you can write about when you are only five isn’t as good as what you can write about when you’re eight. She couldn’t wait to show Jon when he came over for his sleepover. Her cheeks became a bit pink.

Jon had always been her friend for as long as she could remember. To be fair he was Robb’s friend first, which is why they always considered themselves each other’s best friend. Still he became her friend too. Like Robb, he always found time to pay attention to her and never treated her like a baby the way some of her other friends complained about their older brothers. Jon was also very interested in her stories. Which is why she decided to write the story she was working on now.

_The prince looked angry at the evil king. “Where is the princess? Where is Celia?”_

_The evil king Baylor laughed wickedly at Prince Jonothor. “You’ll never find her! Ha ha ha!”_

_“I’ll find you soon my princess,” Prince Jonothor promised to his true love._

_“You won’t find her so easily, dear prince. You’ll have a long journey and before long you’ll die,” the witch Alanna sneered at Prince Jonothor._

Sansa finished her sentence and had to sigh dreamily at it. It’s just like the fairytales Mommy always read to her. She knew that like a lot of boys, Jon didn’t like true love stories. However she did appreciate that he agreed to play act those stories when they played games at his sleepover here.

The door bell rang and soon she could hear her mother answering the door.

“Lyanna! You’re just in time. Hello, Jon,” her mother said.

Sansa quickly closed her book and went to the large mirror near her window. She took a careful look at herself. Her straight, auburn hair was still neatly braided. Her purple headband was still in place. Her matching purple shirt and jeans was spot free unlike Arya, who made a mess of her clothes at lunch as usual. Sansa was pleased at her appearance and then made her way downstairs.

Jon was already sitting at the kitchen table talking to Robb. Robb had been doing some homework making sure he had at least some of it done before Jon came over. Both boys were having a snack.

“Hi Jon,” Sansa greeted him.

Jon smiled at her. “Hi Sansa, how are you?”

“Fine thanks. What are you two talking about?” She looked back and forth at the two boys.

“Just talking about what homework we finished and what we still have to do,” answered Robb. He reached to the serving dish and carefully poured a scoop of fruit salad their mother left out into his bowl.

Sansa smirked. “So much homework left to do? I finished mine.” She went to the dishwasher to take out a clean bowl for herself.

Jon was chewing a cantaloupe cube and swallowed before replying. “Well you do have less homework than we do. Actually we have a group project to finish by Wednesday. Ms. Florent is very strict about getting homework done.”

Robb grimaced as Sansa joined them at the table. “Ms. Florent is really tough. You better hope you don’t end up with her as your teacher.”

Sansa was confident she would do well when she got to the fifth grade regardless of who the teacher would be. She wasn’t going to be intimidated by any teacher or difficulty in the work. “Don’t worry about me. I know I can do it just as well as you can.” She scooped some fruit into her bowl.

Jon smiled at her. “I’m sure you can. You’re a smart girl.”

Sansa blushed a bit at this. It did feel good hearing that Jon believed in her. It was almost as good as her parents saying the same thing. “Are you two doing your homework after finishing snack time?”

Robb nodded. “We have to. I have math and spelling worksheets to do. Then there’s also more of the group project to work on.”

“What about you, Jon?” Sansa asked before eating a cube of cantaloupe.

“Same as Robb. I’m glad we’re in the same group together. It’ll make doing the project easier,” said Jon.

Sansa smiled as the boys continued talking and eating fruit with her. It was always good spending time with Jon, even if she had to share him with her brother.

* * *

**GROWING ORGANS IN A LAB** (Westeros National Post)

By Robar Warren

The newest breakthrough in medical technology has been developed and approved by the Westerosi Ministry of Medicine. In an effort to reduce the death of patients due to lack of available organs, scientists have developed a new method to flash grow organs based on cloning the patient's original organs. This method also reduces the chance of organ rejection down to nearly zero percentage. The medical trials have thus far demonstrated excellent results. Actual human patients have participated in the advanced medical trials and after nearly three years of continual observations, the cloned organs functioned without any additional problems.

One patient, Mr. Raymun Burning, required a new liver and had been waiting on the transplant list for nearly two years. “I was willing to give this a shot. My prognosis wasn’t very good and while medication has kept me going, things weren’t looking good for me if I didn’t get a new liver. It seemed to me the chance at life was worth the risk. What was I going to lose really?”

Indeed in Mr. Burning’s case even if he was able to obtain a liver via the transplant list, there’s always the chance of organ rejection. Mr. Burning would have to take anti-rejection medication for the rest of his life with the additional chance that problems and infections could still occur in the future.

Of great note, it has been recently revealed that Professor Aemon Targaryen, great uncle of our king, was one of the participating patients in the clinical trials. “At my age, there’s always the chance this won’t work. But then again at my age, I could pass away at any given time. This is the opportunity to do more than just extend my life. This research could save the lives of millions of people if it works. What greater legacy can I leave to my family and the world at large than helping save those people’s lives by participating?”

There is great hope for the future for this most promising of procedures. The procedure consists of taking samples of the organ that needs to be replaced. After examining the cell samples to ensure they aren’t affected or afflicted by disease, the samples are then used to create a cloned organ. The procedure has been able to produce organs within seven to fourteen days.

However this procedure hasn’t been without its share of critics. “There was always concern that there may have been additional uses made of this procedure. We were concerned this is the open gateway towards complete human cloning,” said medical ethicist, Dr. Maynard Wellman.

“While we do respect the concerns of our colleagues, regulations can easily be passed on this matter. Currently the only laboratory with the ability to do this organ cloning procedure is the one at Queen Naerys Targaryen Memorial Hospital. The laboratory will be under strict guidelines to perform the procedure only for the cloning of organs for patients on the transplant waiting list,” said hospital director, Dr. Loren Ebrose.

* * *

Jon sat patiently at the dinner table. It was a little strange despite the fact he had been doing this for almost a month now. He was no longer living in the modest apartment with his mother. He and his mother were actually living in the same house as his father, sister and brother. He met his stepmother a few times and knew she was a very nice lady. It was very sad that she passed away a year ago.

Rhaenys was very understandably upset. Aegon didn’t talk and was very pale through the funeral. Jon and his mother were towards the back of the sept as they held the funeral mass. His mother explained to him that some people might be upset if they sat near the front. If Jon was young like little Bran or Arya, he wouldn’t have understood the reasons why. But he wasn’t a little boy. He knew perfectly well that his family wasn’t the same as everyone else’s.

His parents married last month in a very small ceremony with an equally small reception. Rhaenys and Aegon were polite to his mother, but they weren’t completely happy with idea of their father marrying his mother. Their uncles, Doran and Oberyn Martell, attended and were perfectly polite to the two Snows.

“I’m happy, but surprised you attended our wedding,” Lyanna said to Doran Martell.

Doran offered her a small smile. “It was Elia’s wish that Rhaegar marry you when the proper mourning period was over. She always was a gracious woman and only wanted people to be happy. She also wanted to make sure her children would have a mother when she could no longer be here for them.”

Rhaenys was perfectly nice to him and so was Aegon, but they weren’t ready to accept Lyanna as a stepmother. They did make him feel welcome every time they saw him though. That was reassuring at least. Just like now at dinner together, they were sitting at the dining room table. Unlike when it was just mother and him, his father had _staff_.

There was Mrs. Hill, who was the housekeeper, and was very nice to him and his mother. She was almost like a grandmother, but she was a tough taskmaster for the rest of the staff. There was also Mr. Potter, who was the chef who cooked their dinners. Mother still insisted on making breakfast for everyone and usually everyone was out of the house for lunch except for the weekend. Milly Smith was a house cleaner who assisted Mrs. Hill. Mr. Patrek Jones tended to the gardens once a week and took care of the leaf raking in the fall and planting flowers in the spring.

“How was everyone’s day?” Lyanna asked as she began scooping mashed potatoes onto Rhaegar’s plate.

“The Senate was very frustrating as always. We’ll be back to negotiating with the labor unions again. The deal Ned arranged is a temporary solution, but we have another year to figure something out before they start protesting again,” Rhaegar replied as he passed Lyanna gravy.

Rhaenys finished using tongs to put some salad greens onto her plate and was pouring some ranch dressing on the vegetables. “I still have projects to finish for school. The final exams are coming up.” Rhaenys was very nervous about school this year. She was going to be starting eighth grade this fall and had to worry about getting into a good high school.

“You’ll wonderfully as always darling,” Rhaegar said reassuringly. He had his usual gentle smile as he met Rhaenys’s eyes. “If you need help with anything, you know Lyanna and I are here.”

Rhaenys just nodded as she was chewing her salad.

Aegon was cutting into his chicken parmesan when he realized it was his turn to talk about his day. “Mrs. Hightower said we need to get our permissions slips signed by Friday, Dad.” Aegon’s class was going to have a field trip next week to Oldtown. They would be visiting the Citadel and the Starry Sept for the whole day.

Rhaegar smiled again this time at Aegon. “Of course. It’s important you visit places like that son. It’s good to know our history and learn lessons from the good and the bad things that happened. Is everyone going?”

Aegon nodded. “All the other kids said they were going. Some parents are chaperoning. I just need some dragons for souvenirs, Dad.”

Rhaegar frowned. “I thought you still had your allowance money.”

Aegon blushed a bit at this. “Well… um… I was saving that for something else. Please Dad? I wanted to get everyone something from Oldtown since you can’t go too.”

Rhaenys wisely didn’t remind her brother that she went on the same trip when she was in the fifth grade and then again last year. “That’s sweet of you. I could give you a little money if you want.”

Aegon shook his head. “I don’t want to buy you something with your money. That’s weird.”

No one pointed out it was also a bit strange spending his father’s money to get him a souvenir. “Well I’ll give you the money then. Just remind me the night before your trip,” Rhaegar said.

“What about you, Jon?” asked Lyanna. She finished scooping some food onto his plate for him.

Jon beamed at everyone. “Robb and I got an ‘A’ on our group project.”

Everyone claps and cheers at this. Jon couldn’t help but be happy. It was a lot of work doing this project with Robb. It was two weeks of research and lots of re-writing courtesy of their parents’ proofreading. Rhaenys even helped him with research. It was good to have an older sibling.

Lyanna kissed Jon on the head. “That’s my boy,” she said happily.

“Congrats son. I’m happy you did so well,” Rhaegar looked at everyone at the dinner table. “We should go out together as a family. Maybe a movie night?”

Everyone cheered at this idea. Jon couldn’t help but feel happy and warm. He was really in a family just like everyone else and he was happy about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to make a note that for May 27th I'll be doing two chapters (Chapter 6 & 7) instead of the usual one. However in exchange I won't be updating the story until June 10th. I'm going to be posting something else on June 3rd. I think with the chapter's notes for Chapter 7 I'll announce what I'm going to be putting out instead that for the following Sunday. So stay tuned!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bit of world building and some Jonsa birthdays.

**AN ENTREPRENEUR TAKING FLIGHT** (Steel Street Times)

By Gerold Silversmith

One of the great rising stars in the financial world has decided to expand into the world of venture capitalism. Petyr Baelish was on the rising track of becoming a partner with his former employers, Waters, Corbray, & Hersy. However he has decided to go beyond hedge funds.

“I wanted to explore the new possibilities that ambitious people with interesting ideas can present. There are ideas worth exploring that fulfill needs or in some cases needs we didn’t know we have! There are some ingenious people that only need someone to give them ten minutes of their time to hear them out and give them that chance. I like to think I can be that person,” Baelish replied.

Baelish Ventures Ltd. is currently a solo venture, but many of his former hedge fund clients have shown interest in joining Mr. Baelish’s endeavors. We at Steel Street Times look forward to seeing what this young man will be accomplishing in the next few years.

* * *

Jon made it very clear he didn’t want a huge birthday party. He spent his entire life with small gatherings at the apartment he lived with his mother. He was also a shy kid and didn’t like people making a fuss. Rhaegar respected his son’s wishes and only upgraded the food and entertainment on offer.

Mr. Potter had two assistants helping him in the kitchen as soon as lunch was done. Given the number of children at the party everyone agreed that pizza and pasta would be the best cuisine for dinner. Also Jon got to have his chocolate and strawberry birthday cake he asked for.

The Starks arrived just on time. Robb and Jon shared a quick hug before Robb handed Jon a shopping bag with his gift. Uncle Ned hugged Jon as well. Aunt Cat was holding baby Rickon, who was interestedly looking around the room. She offered him a kiss on the head. Arya and Bran each hugged him before calling out “Happy birthday!”

Sansa beamed at him and then shyly handed him a thin, gift wrapped item. “It’s something I made myself for you.”

Jon looked at it curiously wondering what Sansa could have given him. “Thank you so much, Sansa. You didn’t have to get me anything, but I’m happy you did though.”

“I just thought this would be exactly what you’d like. I was thinking of you when I made it,” Sansa explained.

Jon was surprised. Sansa _made_ him something? He looked at the present again wondering what it could be. He smiled at her. “I’m sure it’s great if you made it. I’ll open it first.”

Sansa blushed at this. “Don’t! I’d rather you open the other present first. Arya and Bran helped pick that out. They’d be happier if you saw that first.” Sansa was being her usual self thinking of what would make her younger siblings happy.

Jon nodded. “Okay, I’ll do that. Come on there’s games set up in the living room. There are a few more kids coming too.”

Just as he said that, the door bell rang. Sansa hurried after her family while Jon stayed behind to help greet whoever showed up. The door was opened and another family had arrived, but much smaller than the Starks.

“Sam!” Jon called out and hurried to the chubby boy.

Sam was his and Robb’s classmate. They first met last year when Sam transferred to their school. He quickly became a friend and was clearly the smartest kid in the class which resulted in a bit of a rivalry between Sam and Robb for the top of the class. Jon was always good in class, but he wasn’t too bothered about not being a straight A student. He was happy to be doing well and making his parents proud of him. Rhaenys almost found it inconceivable that Jon could actually have no goal of being valedictorian. Fortunately Aegon was there to reassure him that he didn’t care about being number one in his class either.

“Happy birthday, Jon! Here’s your present from us,” Sam said. Like Robb, he had been holding a gift bag with tissue paper and a box covered with birthday themed wrapping paper.

“Thanks Sam. Robb and his family are here already. They’re in the living room. Rhaenys helped set up the Wii. We have four Wii-motes too,” Jon said.

Sam smiled at this. That’s great. Dickon and Talla can play too.” Sam’s two younger siblings came over at the mention of their names.

Jon led the three Tarly kids to the living room where the Stark kids, Aegon, and Rhaenys were already chatting. They began debating which game to play first and who should go first when the doorbell sounded. A minute later, Margaery Tyrell appeared with her three older brothers.

“Hi everyone,” Margaery said. “Happy birthday, Jon.”

“Thanks, Margaery,” Jon said with a polite nod.

Within minutes everyone took turns playing Wii Sports. Robb and Margaery wound up being partners in the tennis game while Jon was playing with Sansa. The four kids didn’t notice the amused smirks on Rhaenys’s, Willas’s, and Garlan’s faces. The three of them were the ones chaperoning Jon and his young friends while the adults were all chatting in the dining room area. Bran, Arya, and the three Tarlys took turns cheering when anyone scored.

Everyone got to play on the Wii at least twice by the time Lyanna Targaryen appeared at the entrance. “All right dinner is ready!”

The dining room was able to sit up to thirty people comfortably. Rhaegar sat at one end of the table, while Jon was his direct opposite. All the kids sat at Jon’s half of the table with Garlan and Willas sitting at the middle so they could continue chaperoning the younger kids and occasionally participate in conversation with the adults. Robb and Sansa took turns helping Bran as needed. Sam did the same with Dickon and Talla.

Jon never had more fun at dinner than at that moment. He was surrounded by his friends as they shared food and laughs. Everyone clapped and said three cheers to Mr. Potter and his assistants for an excellent dinner. All the kids enjoyed the pizzas. The adults ate pasta dishes and grilled seafood.

The kids were allowed another hour to play games before they were summoned back to the dining room for dessert and birthday cake. Everyone sang to Jon and he blew out his candles. Then it was time for presents.

Rhaenys handed him a large box. “It’s from Dad and your mom.”

Jon unwrapped the box and smiled at the present. “Thanks.” He showed the two new video games he could play on the Wii. It would be fun to be able to play more games along with the ones he already liked.

He continued opening presents. Rhaenys and Aegon got him a new build your own car model. It was another fun hobby of his, building model cars and aircraft. Sam and the Tarlys got him a beautifully crafted cyvasse set. Rhaegar had said he’d teach Jon how to play the game and Jon was pleased to see he could do it on his own set. The Tyrells got him ringside seats to a Winterfell Direwolves hockey game. The Direwolves were definitely his favorite team with a real shot of the Cregan Cup this season.

The Starks had a box filled with all sorts of Winterfell Direwolves gear. They even had a poster signed by the entire team. Jon’s eyes were wide. “What?!” He started to bounce in his chair.

Robb smiled. “Dad knows the team owner. He was able to get the whole team to sign the poster. They also signed a poster for me.”

Jon took the small present that Sansa had given him earlier. He carefully opened the package and saw it was a slim book. It had a nice hard cover and an image that looked like something that Sansa would have sketched. He carefully opened the book and started reading the first couple sentences recognizing the words. He looked up at Sansa with a beaming smile. “You made a book for me?”

Sansa nodded returning his smile. “Mommy went online and helped me turn a few stories into a book for you. I hope you like it a lot.”

Jon nodded. “I do. I’ll read it all the time.” Jon couldn’t help but totally appreciate her thoughtful gift. It wasn’t often he got a homemade (or a mostly homemade) gift. His mother often said homemade gifts are the most thoughtful because the gifter was thinking of who would get it. Homemade gifts were made with love.

* * *

**CONTROVERSIAL DOCTOR EXPELLED** (The Westorosi Journal of Medicine)

By Dr. Martyn Cressen, editor

It is with great regret that we at the Westerosi Journal of Medicine must report the expelling of a member of our respected circle of science. We are a society of men and women who do research and implement the fruits of that research for the benefit of humanity. It is because of this most noble of goals, that we have always kept a philosophy of ethical behavior when any of our members do his or her work.

It came to the attention of the Westorosi Academy of Medicine & Sciences that one Dr. Gared Qyburn has been performing preliminary research into human cloning. His experiments thus far were limited to laboratory rats in which he cloned rats and did additional experiments with their genomes. With the additional threat of legal prosecution, Dr. Qyburn has been expelled from the Academy.

[End Excerpt]

* * *

It was her dearest wish to have a costumed birthday party. Her parents smiled indulgently and agreed to host a costume themed party for her ninth birthday. Sansa was dressed in a pretty, white dress with a flower crown. It was a dress her mother picked out for her after a shopping trip at the mall recently. Baby Rickon was wearing a bunny onesie that was very cute. Robb was being a good sport and dressed up as a prince to match her princess costume. At first he complained about it being too embarrassing. However Jon had told him that he’d wear a prince costume too and so would Aegon. Sansa didn’t think it would be hard for the two brothers as they were both actual princes.

Sansa was surprised when her parents explained how Jon’s father was Senator Targaryen, the crowned prince and future king of Westeros. Like all children, she learned as soon she was old enough that they lived in something called a “constitutional monarchy.” They had a king who was the official leader of Westeros in all ceremonies and stuff. The people who really passed all the laws and ran the country though were people like her Dad. The senators and district representatives met at the great Parliamentary building everyday discussing all sorts of things.

The senators like her father were lords. Once upon a time, the Starks of House Stark were the Wardens of the North. Father was still Lord of Winterfell, the family castle. Her father was a senator and the leader of the Northern senators. Each of the regions of Westeros had a Senator who was the leader of the regional Senators. These senators would usually meet with the king at least once a month to discuss important issues that required the king’s support.

Sansa was proud of her father, but it did worry her sometimes when he was gone so much because of work. There were times she wished he was home more often. She could tell he was a bit sad when he had to miss out on things like Robb’s swim meets or the school play she was in last year. She was happy though that he was here for things like their birthdays.

Sansa hurried downstairs after checking to make sure her flower crown was on her head properly. She could hear her mother in Bran’s room making sure he was dressed up in his costume. Robb and Arya were already downstairs and they were sitting in the living room watching something on TV.

Robb was handsome as a prince. He was actually being careful with his clothes making sure they didn’t get too wrinkled. Mother told him about it over and over. His hair was a bit messy, but it actually made him look good. Sansa couldn’t help but smile. Margaery would be impressed. It was clear to her that Margaery Tyrell liked her brother. At first she found it hard to believe a girl would like her brother, but thinking about it some more she realized why _shouldn’t_ a girl like her brother? Robb was the best brother she could have asked for.

Arya was dressed up as Batgirl. She had the cowl off her head, but no doubt she’d pull it on later when the guests started arriving. Arya wanted to dress as her favorite superhero. Well she wanted to be Wonder Woman, but Mother couldn’t find a good Wonder Woman costume that would fit Arya. Batgirl was her second favorite, which she was still happy with.

“How long have you both been down here?” Sansa asked.

Robb looked towards Sansa finally noticing she came downstairs. “You look very pretty, Sansa. I’ve been down here for about five minutes.”

Arya looked at her sister and nodded. “Me too. Robb was here changing channels when I came down.”

Sansa took a seat next to Robb, who was sitting on the couch. Arya was sitting their father’s favorite recliner. She could tell the show was a cartoon series that they watched all the time. It was a repeat episode, but it was a fun way to kill time waiting for everyone to arrive.

Soon there was the sound of someone else walking down the stairs. Their parents came down with the two youngest Starks. Ned Stark was holding baby Rickon who was sleeping against his shoulder. He really did look adorable in the bunny onesie. Mother held onto Bran’s hand. He was dressed in a black robe with tan slacks and a white button up shirt. He was wearing fake glasses with thick, black frames. He had a lightning bolt scar on his forehead and a stick in his hand.

Sansa was pleased to see her little brothers dressed in their costumes. They all looked wonderful and she was excited to see how her friends looked. Even her parents were dressed up. Catelyn Stark was dressed in robes, a black dress and a pointed hat. Ned Stark was wearing a costume that looked just like something one of their Stark ancestors would have worn a very long time ago.

“It looks like all of us Starks are ready for a birthday party,” her father said with amusement in his voice.

Arya hopped off the recliner and hurried to her father. “When’s everyone coming?”

Catelyn Stark smiled at her younger daughter. “Now now, Arya. Be patient dear. All the children will be arriving at 3 o’clock, which is right…”

The doorbell rang. Everyone started walking towards the front door. Arya quickly pulled the cowl on so she’d properly look like Batgirl. The kids stood in a row with Ned still holding the napping baby Rickon. Catelyn opened the door and revealed the Targaryens wearing costumes standing right outside.

“Welcome! Please come in!” Catelyn stood aside to let the family of five enter the house.

Just as Sansa expected Jon and Aegon were dressed similar to what Robb was wearing as they had promised to dress up as princes given the birthday girl and at least one other girl would be a princess as well. Rhaenys was dressed up in what Sansa imagined a fairy godmother would look like with glittery wings and a pretty looking wand. Jon’s parents looked a lot like Hogwarts professors with their robes and pointy hats.

“Happy birthday, Sansa!” the five Targaryens said in unison.

“Thank you for coming,” Sansa said with an appropriate curtsey. It was something she had practiced plenty of times in front her mirror.

Lyanna Targaryen handed a gift bag to Catelyn. “I’m glad we were able to make it on time. Traffic was completely crazy on the way here. It looked like there was some accident, but it cleared up in time.”

Everyone except Sansa and Jon moved towards the dining room where there were some snacks and the gift table. “I’m happy you’re here and dressed up in costume,” Sansa said with a smile.

Jon nodded. “I didn’t mind it too much if that’s what you really wanted for your birthday. It’s your day so you should get to have what you want, you know?”

That was precisely one of the many things Sansa liked about Jon. He cared about how other people felt. He was always, but he didn’t make it too obvious as he wouldn’t want to be “too soft.” Robb was like that too, but he’s her brother. If he was mean, he’d just get in trouble with their parents.

Sansa took Jon’s hand. “Thank you anyway. Come on!” She led him into the dining room to catch up with the others.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just as a reminder, I'll be doing a double chapter post next Sunday. However as a compromise of sorts, that means that I won't be posting a new chapter on Sunday, June 3. Probably in the notes for chapter 7, I'll make an announcement of what I'm going to be posting instead that Sunday. Thanks for your support.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I did tag certain things for this story for a reason. Just give it a chance.

**VIOLENCE ERUPTS IN GULLSTOWN** (Westeros National Post)

By Willem Fairmarket

Yesterday afternoon, there was a great disturbance in downtown Gullstown when an explosion rocked the very heart of the prime shopping district. Ten people were pronounced dead at the scene while almost eighty people were injured and taken to area hospitals for injuries from flying debris and falling to the ground.

“I just heard a sudden boom and started seeing smoke. Everyone began running. There were people screaming and alarms started blaring all over the place. It was just so scary,” said Betha Cartwright of Gullstown.

Police are investigating the incident, but preliminary reports indicate a bomb was deliberately placed in the area and was set off through means still unknown at this time. However a radical group, known as The Wyldlings, has claimed responsibility. As the reader is well aware, there is still renewed labor discontent that was temporarily resolved through the efforts of Parliament two years earlier. However the previously agreed upon terms are soon to expire and new negotiations will soon be needed. A radical offshoot of the “Free Folk Movement” has claimed that protesting and boycotting failed to give them what they want. The Wyldings are on the list of known terrorist organizations.

“It is outrageous that there are individuals in our beloved country that believe violence is the answer to their discontent. They believe that better pay and benefits somehow justify the deaths of innocent people going about their lives. They are utterly despicable,” said the late Hand of the King Jon Arryn. The Wyldings had claimed responsibility for another bombing in Lannisport just a month before the senator lost his battle with stomach cancer.

The Wyldings are still at large. There is no confirmation as to who the leaders of the group are, but they are known for wearing black clothes that have a skeleton like design on them. They also wear a face cover mask in the shape a skull. Their leader is merely known by the codename “The Lord of Bones.”

* * *

Sansa had been disappointed to find out she wasn’t able to have a proper family outing with everyone. Robb (and Jon) had another group project to work on so he couldn’t go. Arya was sick and needed bed rest and lots of chicken noodle soup. Her mother had to stay home and take care of her. Rickon was still a baby and couldn’t go anywhere either. It wasn’t a total loss though. Bran was able to come along. He wasn’t going to be starting school until the next semester. He was excited about kindergarten. Most importantly, their father was the one who was taking them out on their overnight trip.

They were visiting their grandfather Tully at Riverrun. They could have gotten on a small plane or driven in a car, but it was decided that they would take a train ride instead. The ride would only take about two hours from King’s Landing to Riverrun. Sansa had wondered why they were taking the train.

Ned Stark smiled at his elder daughter. “We should always learn to appreciate the different ways people travel to in our country, darling. For some people flying on an airport can be too expensive. Besides, we should show our support of the trains.”

Sansa had to admit it was nice being able to look out the window and see the different places between her home in King’s Landing and Riverrun. Bran certainly had fun pointing at all the interesting small towns and the different rivers that give the Riverlands its name.

They had gotten on the train about 9am and they arrived at Riverrun Central Train Station in time for lunch. Uncle Edmure had driven a car to the train station to pick them up.

“I’m surprised you didn’t drive, Ned. It is only three of you on this trip,” Edmure said with amusement.

“Well I thought it important to provide support for the trains. We’ve been discussing legislation to increase the funding for train infrastructure in next year’s budget,” Ned replied.

Edmure sighed. “I had forgotten all about that. I’ve been completely preoccupied with land rights problems between Bracken and Blackwood… again.” Uncle Edmure was a district representative while Grandfather Tully was a Senator. Uncle Edmure had another two years to serve and then Grandfather would retire his senate seat and pass it on to Uncle Edmure to take over.

Sansa soon stopped paying attention to boring politics. Bran was bobbing his head up and down to the CD player that their father let him borrower for the trip. Bran was probably listening to the music from his favorite show, Simeon Star-Eyes and his Happy Farm Friends. She could hear him softly mumbling words to whatever song he was listening to.

Instead Sansa closed her eyes and started meditating. It was important she meditate Professor Mordane told her. These breathing and mental exercises were important in order to control her powers. Sansa knew that was true. She had to spend at least two hours a week with Professor Mordane learning how to use and control her abilities. Due to her age, she couldn’t officially be registered as a Level 5 Psi user, but her brief usage of telekinesis the first time showed she had the potential. Most Psi users couldn’t. It was about forty years since the first Psi users started emerging. In all that time, there has only been twelve people that demonstrated that most advanced of Psi abilities. It was both exciting and worrying that she was possibly the thirteenth.

In the two years since she started seeing Professor Mordane for her special Psi training, she had randomly received precognitive visions. They were mostly mundane things. She’d see herself running in a field. Her brother Robb was a little bit older jumping into a swimming pool. Arya also was older and scowling as she jumped up and down on a trampoline. Grabbing an extra pencil from home and she was able to give it to her friend, Jeyne Poole, after she accidently broke the tip of hers. She was very happy to get the occasional flash that prevented her from crashing into people while turning around corners or avoid falling objects.

Soon they arrived at Riverrun Castle, where her mother’s family lived for hundreds of years. She and Bran were happy to see so much water surrounding the castle. It was just like what Sansa always pictured a fairytale castle would be like. Uncle Edmure took them all over the castle grounds to chase butterflies, swim in the outdoor pool, and pick some wild flowers for the vase in the dining room. It was fun visiting Riverrun. Before they knew it, they finished one more lunch before Uncle Edmure drove them to the train station and they were heading back to King’s Landing for home.

They got to their seats and the 1:37pm train left the station. Bran was listening to his music again bobbing his head and occasionally mumbling lyrics. Her father was reading the newspaper and occasionally looked up to check on her and Bran before reading another article. Sansa was scribbling in her notebook. The fun she and Bran had made her think of some interesting things to put into the current story she was working on. The three Starks were all preoccupied and didn’t notice the three men who entered the car they were in. The men unbuttoned their jackets to reveal skeleton themed black shirts and quickly putting on skulls masks.

“This is a hold up!” one man shouted loudly. Everyone looked up in surprise and fear. Sansa was confused and scared. She quickly held Bran’s hand and look at her grim faced father. What would happen next?

* * *

**NEW TASK FORCE IN THE WIA IN WAKE OF TRAGEDY** (Westerosi National Post)

By Willem Fairmarket

It is truly a sad day that we report the latest terrorist act allegedly conduct by the Wyldlings. Dozens of people were killed and more injured when a train that left Riverrun to King’s Landing was hijacked. Amongst the victims was Senator Eddard Stark, a respected politician and chief negotiator with the “Free Folk” labor union. The tragic death of Senator Stark has sent shockwaves not only in the halls of Parliament, but even with the various labor unions.

“I am saddened by the death of Senator Stark. He was an honest negotiator and didn’t talk down to us or treat us dishonestly. I truly believe that if he had lived, we could have come up with a meaningful, long-term solution to our grievances. It is hard to say what will happen in the future, but this isn’t the time to talk of such things. He was first and foremost a husband and father. I think we should be thinking more about his poor wife and his children. After all, they also lost one child with another one injured in the hospital,” said “Free Folk” spokesman, Mance Rayder.

Senator Stark was traveling to visit his in-laws Senator Hoster Tully and District Representative Edmure Tully at their ancestral home, Riverrun. He had been traveling with two of his children. It is presumed that one child, Sansa Stark, was killed when a fire broke out in one of the train cars. The other child, Brandon Stark, was found unconscious by other passengers and taken away by ambulance.

There had been discussion for years about the need for an elite task force within the Westeros Investigation Agency (WIA). However the latest outrage that resulted in the death of a major politician along with many other innocent victims has brought this issue to the forefront. There is indication that Parliament will be voting and approving the creation of this new taskforce. King Aerys has also indicated his support and will sign the ratified bill after the vote.

Senator Eddard Stark’s seat by law of inheritance would be taken up by his eldest son, Robb Stark. However, young Robb Stark is only eleven years old. In light of this fact, Eddard Stark’s brother, Benjen Stark, will take over the seat until young Robb is older.

“It is likely that Robb won’t be taking the seat until he’s at least twenty-two when he has completed his undergraduate studies. In fact, I would imagine he won’t take the seat until he is at least twenty-three or twenty-four. It would be wiser if he spent time working as a staffer for a year getting a better understanding of how Parliament works day-to-day,” explained Senator Rhaegar Targaryen, one of Eddard Stark’s colleagues in Parliament. As readers are aware, this was the case for Senator Rhaegar Targaryen when our sovereign himself was Senator Aerys Targaryen before the death of his father, King Jaehaerys II.

* * *

Jon, Robb, and Arya were huddled on the bed together. They could hear the muffled sounds from downstairs where all the adults were still talking. They were all quiet in the dark room. The curtain had been pulled down with only a little bit of light coming through the gaps. Jon could hear Arya sniffling a bit though. This was the same Arya who never cried when she scraped a knee or tripped on the uneven ground. She had a good reason to cry though. They all couldn’t believe or understand how this could have happened. Robb and Arya lost their father. They all lost Sansa. Bran was in the hospital in a coma.

Jon remembered when his mother received the phone call. Her hand shook as she put the phone down and she started crying hysterically. His father hurried over and pulled her into his arms gently asking her what happened. Jon couldn’t comprehend what his mother was saying when she said that Uncle Ned was dead. Ned Stark might not have been his mother’s brother, but he always thought of her and him as family. To be technical they were distant cousins and therefore family. The two Snows were always welcome in the Stark family home. He and his mother were always invited to all the get-togethers. Jon always made sure he made a Father’s day card to both Rhaegar and Uncle Ned. Then his mother explained what happened to Bran and Sansa.

Jon shuddered trying not to cry thinking about it. It was too much to believe about how it happened. Those horrible people did this. Those horrible terrorists killed all those people. They shot people including Uncle Ned, who tried to negotiate with them. Sansa and Bran ran along with some of the other passengers. One of the Wyldlings must have had a bomb or some sort of explosive on the train. A fire broke out. Chaos happened. People were running and trampling happened. Bran was found unconscious and alone. A quick DNA scan confirmed his identity and the hospital he was taken to contacted Aunt Cat and Bran’s uncle Edmure. The attack happened less than half an hour after the train left Riverrun’s local train station, so Edmure and Hoster Tully arrived quickly.

Uncle Ned was found in the car he and his children were in. Sansa… they couldn’t find Sansa. They had to bury Sansa in an empty casket. A couple cars on the train were on fire and blown out. Unfortunately there were still people in those cars… there was only one conclusion everyone made when all the living, injured, or dead were identified. Everyone else that was still missing were presumed dead also.

Aunt Cat, Robb, Arya, and baby Rickon were a sad sight to look at as they sat in the very front pew at the funeral service. Benjen Stark sat with them along with his wife, Dacey Mormont. Bran was still in the hospital a week afterwards in a coma and couldn’t attend. Aunt Cat’s Tully family sat right behind them just as sorrowful of the whole affair. The Targaryens sat right behind the Tullys. Lyanna was sobbing almost as much as Aunt Cat. She and Uncle Ned were always close friends.

There were many people at the funeral. It wasn’t a surprise since Ned Stark was a well respected Senator in parliament, but more importantly he had many friends. Senator Robert Baratheon was also red-eyed at the funeral. He gave a fiery speech on the floor of Parliament Hall two days after the attack vowing that they’d “find those fucking scumbags that did this.” They killed not only one of the best men he’d ever known, but they killed dozens of innocent people.

They had a reception after the funeral at the restaurant that Ned and Catelyn Stark loved going to with their family. It lasted for three hours before most of the attendees drifted off after a lot of drinking, toasting, and memory sharing. Everyone offered the Starks their condolences. But what are condolences when two people they loved were taken away from them?

After that, Catelyn Stark invited family to their home for dinner. Benjen and his wife of course came over. So did the Tullys and the Targaryens were also invited. Jon’s parents agreed and so there was a decent size group of people in the house still. Rhaenys and Aegon were dropped off at home to finish some homework with their father picking them up later before they would have dinner together. Jon was allowed to stay with Robb and Arya since he wanted to grieve with them. And so they were here in Sansa’s bedroom, huddled together on her bed.

Arya clutched Berry and Bunnifer Stark and was nuzzling two of her sister’s favorite stuffed animals. Arya and Sansa didn’t always get along due to their different personalities and interests. There was no doubt they did love each other. Arya was taking all this very hard.

Robb tried so hard to be brave, but it wasn’t easy. He wanted to be a son his father would be proud of. Now at the age of eleven he was the man of the house. “We’re going to see Bran in the hospital tomorrow,” Robb said.

Jon looked up at his best friend. His eyes were kind of red from the tears he shed earlier at the funeral. He had a tiny smile that was a bit wobbly to Jon’s eyes. His curly, auburn hair was messy like usual. “That’s good. He’d be glad to see you guys,” Jon said.

Arya looked at the two boys and hugged Berry and Bunnifer again. “Do you think Bran can come home tomorrow?” she said uncharacteristically quiet.

Robb sighed. “I don’t know, Arya. If the gods are good, then we could. We’ll know tomorrow.”

There was a knock on the door before it opened. Catelyn Stark was standing there looking at the three kids on the bed. She had a tiny smile at the sight of them together. “Do you kids want a drink? I made some iced tea downstairs.”

The three kids soon followed her downstairs. The adults were all sitting in the living room occupying all the seats available. Cups of coffee and tea were laid out for everyone. Jon could hear his father speaking.

“They’re still investigating, but they’ve got a lot of leads to find the people that did this. In the meantime Mance Rayder and the other union leaders have agreed to go to the negotiating table. They’ve dialed back on some of their demands, but there are a few things they won’t budge on. I don’t blame them as those things they still want are reasonable,” Rhaegar said softly before taking a sip of his drink.

“Aye, they’d better. Those fiends are making fools of the labor unions given their radicalism,” Brynden Tully said gruffly.

“If they’re prepared to be more reasonable, then I’ll vote to approve it,” Benjen Stark said. Upon the death of his brother, he was going to be Senator Stark until Robb was old enough to take on the role.

Soon enough the three kids were in the kitchen where Catelyn Stark pulled out glasses for the children. They all sat around the table as she poured them glasses of iced tea and left the pitcher out for them. “We’ll have dinner in a couple hours,” Catelyn said before kissing her two children on the head. She left them alone to rejoin the adults talking in the living room.

Arya sniffled and took a sip of her iced tea. “Sansa… Sansa would have like this iced tea. It’s her favorite.”

Jon smiled a bit at that. “Lemon and honey was always her favorite.”

Robb lifted up his glass. “To Dad and Sansa.”

Arya and Jon lifted their glasses as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah... so that happened. Farewell Ned (again!) and even Sansa. Before you get angry or upset about it, I really do hope you continue reading this story. Please continue onto chapter 7. I promise it's worth it. I have an additional announcement in the notes for next chapter as well. Thanks for your support.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We have a time jump to years later after the previous chapter. We'll be catching up on Jon, Starks, and a few other people.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope you have faith in where I'm going with this story. Let's just say that the tags I have used are pretty accurate to where the story is going. Just continue to the end of the chapter before you comment. Please?

Jon was in the field again. The green grass was tall and he walked through the blades that swayed slightly in the breeze. He looked around searching… for something… someone?

“Jon!” a voice called out.

Jon looked around searching for the voice’s owner. He soon spots a figure in the distance. He starts running towards the person as they were pretty far away. He got closer and saw it was a girl in a sunny, yellow dress. She was wearing a white sun hat with a pink ribbon. He could see now that he was getting closer she had red hair.

“Sansa!” Jon shouted at her.

“Jon!” she waved her arm excitedly. She was jumping up and down from her spot. “Hurry, Jon! You’re late!”

Jon was panting as he raced towards her. He just had to get to Sansa. He was late meeting up with her. “I’m… I’m coming!”

“You’re late! Why are you so late?” Sansa shouted at him.

“I’m…” Jon said huffing. He was standing in front of Sansa and looked at her. She was slightly older than the last time he had seen her, but she was still the same girl he knew. “I’m here, Sansa. I’m here,” Jon said panting.

“You’re too late, Jon. You’re too late,” Sansa said sadly. She faded away like a ghost.

“Sansa! Where did you go? Come back, Sansa!” Jon shouted.

And then he woke up.

* * *

Jon stretched before getting out of bed. He had a fitful sleep last night. He had been having strange dreams on and off for years now. The dream last night was particularly bad. He was lucky he got any sleep at all. He couldn’t pretend it was anything other than it was thirteen years ago when Sansa and Uncle Ned died.

Jon finished changing into his usual suit and tie and entered the kitchen. His puppy greeted him happily with a tail wag and offered him a small bark. Jon smiled at the puppy he newly adopted last week. A head scratch and a pat on the head later, master and pet settled for breakfast. Having his puppy made living in the apartment less lonely. Robb lived with him during university, but after graduation he decided to move back to the Stark family house. Robb was always a responsible son and knew he should help his mother raise Rickon when was Benjen Stark was the only other male influence for both of his younger brothers.

Sam lived with him for a couple years after they all finished undergraduate studies. Sam however met his girlfriend, Gilly North and they were now living together officially as of last month. Jon considered himself lucky he could afford living expenses without a roommate. As soon as his parents found out that Lyanna was pregnant with him, a trust fund was created for him. Jon only found out about its existence when he graduated from high school. Jon decided to save the money for emergency only. He used some of the money as a down payment for the two bedroom apartment he now lived in. He decided to do the monthly loan payments from his paycheck just like everyone else.

Jon spent the first few years of his life with only his mother. If there was one lesson she could leave him with is to always take pride in your work. Money makes life convenient and comfortable, but it can be taken away if you’re not prepared to work for it. That was why despite the fact he was technically royalty, he chose to get a job. Unlike some people, he got the opportunity to do a job purely because he wanted to pursue his dream. His dream was born not long after the deaths of Ned and Sansa Stark.

It was officially still an open case given they still didn’t catch all the culprits or the members of The Wyldlings, but some were arrested or even killed since that horrifying day. After what happened, Parliament with the king’s approval and public support from Westerosi citizenry, created a new task force within the Department of Justice. It’s primary mission is to pursue the most dangerous criminals and terrorist groups. Director Varys was still in charge of the Central Intelligence Bureau. Jeor Mormont was the director of the Westerosi Investigative Agency. In the aftermath of the Wyldings’ acts of terror, he created a specialized branch in the WIA. Section 5 of the WIA was sometimes known as “The Night’s Watch” due to the top secret work they had to do in order to pursue the most wanted criminals.

He could still remember in the weeks after Stark funerals, his father and mother talking about this new taskforce. Lyanna was hopeful that they’d catch the Wyldlings and punish them for what they did. Years later she was still angry at the death of her former boss and old friend, Ned. She was equally disgusted they killed Sansa and so many people over the years. Jon vowed he’d do whatever it took to be on that taskforce. He’d find those men that killed his Uncle Ned and his friend.

Jon left his plate and empty coffee cup soaking in the sink. He’d wash them properly when he came home later that night. He gave Ghost one last pat and scratch on the head before leaving. He casually looked on his smartphone as he commuted the half hour to WIA headquarters. He quickly read a couple text messages on his phone.

 _Dinner at Greenbriar’s. 7PM_ from his mother. Jon quickly typed back “okay.”

Next message was from Robb Stark. _See you at Greenbriar’s._ Jon promptly replied back. _See you there._

Jon soon stepped off the train and hurried off along with the crowd heading towards all the government buildings near the Red Keep. It was almost funny to think about the fact his grandparents, Uncle Viserys, and Aunt Daenerys lived in the Red Keep and he went to work just five minutes’ walk away. He was never more grateful than ever that his mother insisted that Jon keep his legal name, Jon Snow. His father had wanted to legally change his name to Jaehaerys Targaryen, but his mother hoped he would be able to maintain some degree of anonymity as long as possible.

He walked through the building’s gilded lobby flashing his badge and also scanning his fingerprint and retina before continuing further into the building. He had ten minutes to get settled into his desk and hurrying into Director Mormont’s office. Jon was sent an e-mail late yesterday stating the boss wanted to talk to him about something important. He sat down at his desk and quickly logged into his work computer. He was too focused to notice someone approaching his desk.

“Ready to see the boss, Jon?” a man just four years older than him said.

Jon looked up and offered him a small smile. “I’m as ready as I think I can be, Pyp,” he said.

Jon had made a few friends at the WIA in the year he’s been here as a special agent. Very few young people his age were recruited as agents. What probably helped was the fact he was a Level 1 Psi user.  The current estimate was that 15% of the Westerosi population was over eighteen years old were Psi users. The list of people registered as a Level 5 could be counted on both hands. The fact Jon did very well in school and demonstrated intelligence and leadership potential made him a prime recruit straight out of university. Thankfully no one knew his background or else there’d be accusations of influence happening.

Phillip “Pyp” Cunningham was initially his guide around the agency showing the newbie Jon Snow the ropes of WIA culture and social hierarchy (along with the actual organizational hierarchy of the agency). Pyp and some of the other special agents were suspicious of this fresh out of college kid that they were “forced” by top brass to “babysit.” However Jon proved himself quickly and became popular with the other special agents. Some of the mid-level agents on the other hand…

Jon took a quick look at his job inbox and didn’t see anything extremely urgent. He gathered a notepad and pen before standing up and following Pyp to Director Mormont’s office. As they both walked down the hallway, they spotted a few other people walking to the director’s office as well. He couldn’t help but curious why most of his friends at the office were attending this meeting. Jon quickly found out as everyone settled in the available space around the large personal office of Director Mormont.

Mormont sat in his chair behind his desk. To his left and right were two other men who were deputies in the department. Denys Mallister was the deputy director, who was tough as nails and no nonsense. He was an experienced leader and wasn’t all that different from Director Mormont. Cotter Pyke was the associate deputy director just as serious and dedicated to his job.

 “I’ll get straight to the point everyone. The whole lot of you have been selected to join Section 5.” Director Mormont started the meeting with the main point. If there was one thing you can count on, the man liked talking about what mattered and disliked padding meaningless nothing into the conversation. He was a man with too much on his plate to dither.

Everyone was soon mumbling excitedly with the occasional high-five before Mormont called the meeting back to order. Jon watched the director with interest and more attention than before. His dream was starting to come true.

“As you all know we currently have eighteen agents in Section 5. They’ve done well so far, but they could do better with more agents working on the cases transferred to them. Therefore we’ve done some assessments of all special agents to see which among you have the potential. You are the ones we’ve chosen. An additional ten agents working on the most important cases we have assigned to Section 5,” Director Mormont explained. “You are going to be transferred to those cases starting tomorrow. In the meantime, you’ll all be given access to the current cases Section 5 is working on. Get yourselves familiar with what’s happened so far in the files and be prepared for the meeting tomorrow morning. Dismissed!”

Everyone left back to their cubicles all chatting excitedly about their promotions to the exclusive Section 5. Jon was secretly shaking inside with excitement at the prospective of going after vicious bastards like The Wyldlings. He shared eager grins with his friends in the squad. Pyp was high fiving some of them now.

Grenn Mason was the same age as Pyp. He was one of the largest guys in squad. It wasn’t easy convincing Grenn that he was actually capable of doing the job and wasn’t just some overeager puppy that talked bigger than he could accomplish. Eddison Tollett was the oldest of their group and the dourest one. He was very serious and pessimistic yet very competent and good at keeping their group together.

“All right guys, here they are and off we go,” Edd Tollett said has he started plopping down stacks of filing envelopes on their desks.

Jon took a deep breath and started reading.

* * *

Jon arrived at Greenbriar’s precisely at 7pm. It was going to be a fairly private gathering to remember their losses on this very sad anniversary. He was shown to a private room that was reserved specifically for them. Jon entered and was amazed to see how everyone had arrived. He started circulating around the room.

“Jon, darling!” Lyanna said embracing her son in a warm hug. She was dressed in a neat pant suit just as always did. Even before Uncle Ned’s death she no longer worked in the Stark senatorial offices. As the future queen consort, she couldn’t work for a senator as his personal assistant. Now she was occupying her time with charitable causes like his grandmother and aunt were doing. It was difficult for anyone to live up to her in the Stark senatorial offices.

Fortunately there was a competent one found to help Benjen Stark as Lord of Winterfell and leading Senator of the North. He was going to be there another couple more years and then Robb would finish his degree and sit in the traditional seat of his ancestors in Parliament.

“Hi Mom. I’m not late am I?” Jon asked as they separated from the hug.

Lyanna smiled gently at him. “Of course not dear. You’re here just in time. You just happened to be the last one to arrive,” she said as she guided him towards the Starks.

Catelyn Stark was elegantly dressed in an emerald green dress that was knee-length and sleeveless. She wore matching earrings and high heeled shoes. She smiled as Jon and Lyanna walked towards her and the others. She kissed him on the cheek. “Hello Jon. It’s wonderful to see you. How was work?”

Jon offered her a small smile. “Actually I just found today I’m being transferred to Section 5.”

The Starks congratulated him. Everyone knew how important it was that Jon was part of the elite task force. If there was one family that knew how important Section 5 was, it was the Starks.

“With you on the job, things will go faster no doubt,” Benjen Stark said with a smile. He was still wearing his suit as he likely came to the restaurant straight from his offices at Parliament Hall.

Robb gave Jon a back slap. “Great job, man! You’ll be amazing.” Robb worked harder than ever at school after his father’s and sister’s deaths. He was determined to be top of the class. He knew one day he’d have to take on the role of Senator Stark. He wanted to make sure he’d be prepared for that responsibility. That’s why he double majored at university in political science and economics. He was also aiming for a Masters degree and once he achieved that, he’d take over the Senate seat from his Uncle Benjen. He was currently working as Benjen Stark’s assistant.

Bran smiled at him and nodded. “That’s cool. You’ll be the best secret agent man,” he said with a chuckle.

Jon smiled looking at the now teenaged Bran Stark fondly. Bran was in a coma for nearly a month before he finally woke up. He had amnesia of what happened that day. The last thing he remembered was running with Sansa after “the scary men” were shouting and shooting their guns. Bran stopped speaking for a couple weeks when they told him what happened to his father and sister. Bran was fortunate that he wasn’t more injured. He had to see a specialist as the trauma not only affected him emotionally, but it triggered his Psi powers. They all remembered the water glass on his hospital tray table was shaking when they told him about Ned and Sansa. Bran was planning on studying Westerosi history. He was confirmed to be a Level 5 Psi user and had to be specially registered as such.

Rickon nodded in agreement. “Gonna catch some bad guys?” he asked eagerly. Rickon thought anything Jon did was probably cool when he learned that WIA agents tracked dangerous criminals and stopped all sorts of plots. Jon wouldn’t be surprised if the youngest Stark wanted to join WIA when he grew up too.

The only other Stark missing was Arya. She was in university and working on her degree in sports medicine. She was pretty adept at sports ever since she was young. It probably helped she was a Level 1 Psi user and had extra sharp instincts to avoid being hit by balls and the occasional opposing team player. She had considered trying to play sports professionally, but an injury made that impossible. Getting to sports medicine was the next best thing. Currently she was in Braavos on a study abroad semester. She’d be back in Westeros in a few weeks once the semester was over.

“Jon! You’re here!” a voice called out. A beautiful young woman wearing a coral cocktail dress approached the group.

Jon noticed from the corner of his eye Robb’s wide grin at the approaching woman. “Margaery,” Jon answered her.

Margaery Tyrell gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek with a beaming smile on her face. “Good to see you’re finally here. Garlan told me about your new assignment to Section 5,” she said with a smile. Garlan Tyrell was a senior special agent in another Section of WIA, who he occasionally saw around headquarters, but he was just as likely to be out in the field on assignment.

Jon nodded. “I’m starting tomorrow. I spent most of the day studying files and stuff. I doubt I’ll be out in the field earlier than next week. Still I’m excited about what it happening next. I was completely surprised that this actually happened.”

“You’ll be great,” Margaery said with a nod before walking off to take Robb’s arm. They smiled at each other in what Jon liked to think of as mushy and sappy manner. Jon tried not to remember too much about what it was like to have that expression on his face. He had no doubt that he looked like that once upon a time.

Everyone started taking their seats as servers entered the room to fill water glasses and leave small baskets of bread for everyone to have. It was an evening of memories, laughter, and tears thinking of people they lost and would never get back. Jon tried to keep it together, but he couldn’t help but think of a red-haired girl who loved to write stories and play with her favorite stuffed animals.

* * *

Jon entered the Section 5 corridor in the Investigations department. It still felt odd after his first week in Section 5 to know he was among the most elite agents in WIA. He walked over to his new cubicle and began settling in for the day. He barely noticed Edd approaching his desk with a companion.

Edd cleared his throat. “Morning Jon.”

“Morning Edd,” Jon said with a nod before looking at Edd’s companion.

She was beautiful. She was tall with honey blond hair and gentle blue eyes. She had very little makeup on, but probably had some shade of lipgloss Rhaenys would recognize. She had a gentle smile and there was a sparkle in the icy blue orbs.

“This is Shella Rivers. She’s going to be the new admin assistant,” Edd explained.

The Section 5 office manager, Unella Grimsby, had been complaining about how she needed a second assistant to help her now that Jon and some of his fellow transfers joined Section 5. It seemed they found her new underling.

Jon got up and took her hand. “Welcome to Section 5,” Jon said with what he hoped as a friendly, but calm manner.

Shella’s smile widened. “Thank you. I hope we’ll be able to work together, Jon.”

As unprofessional as it might sound, Jon hoped to be working with Shella a great deal indeed.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I found a great picture of Jon's new co-worker, Shella Rivers. I have fancasted her as being played by Sophie Turner. I want to give credit to the fact the image I used was from Elle magazine.
> 
> Anyways I decided to do a double chapter post tonight because after what happened in chapter 6, I wanted to reassure readers that things will be okay afterwards. It saddened me as a Jonsa fan that I wrote chapter 6 as it is, but that's the only way the story can progress. The other reason is because I won't be posting next Sunday on this story. I am trying to get some more chapters written so I think not worry too much about posting the next chapter will help me a bit.
> 
> To sort of compensate you guys, I'm actually going to be posting a new story! I actually wrote a couple one-shots as I guess you can call them a writing exercise of sorts to re-stimulate my mind a bit. I was having a struggle writing chapter 9, but taking a break for a few days and writing something else helped me figure out the solution. Just keep an eye on next Sunday on the Jonsa tag or just look on my user info for what else I've written. Thanks for the support everyone!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We briefly get a look at Jon and Robb at the end of a long work day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I'm really happy that you guys are here reading the newest chapter! As I had warned you guys a couple weeks ago, I posted a one shot last Sunday. It's a story called "Coffee with a Side of Love." You can find it here -> https://archiveofourown.org/works/14841011

They were in the field again. The sky was a bright blue with fluffy white clouds passing overhead. They were lying down on a red and white checkered blanket. They were right next to each other looking at the clouds. It was the perfect picnic spot right under a tree where they weren’t under too much sunlight.

Jon glanced next to him and smiled. “This was a great idea.”

“I told you so. It’s perfect,” Sansa said. Her bright, blue eyes twinkled as she beamed at him. Her bright, red hair was in two braids tied off with her favorite pink ribbons. She was wearing blue jeans and a pink top that matched the pink ribbons.

Jon nodded. “You’re right. Mom said it was okay for me to stay out until four. I just have to make sure I get back in time for dinner.”

“I’m glad, Jon. We can have more time to play. There’s a stream on the other side of the hill. It’s really nice and gentle. We can take our socks off and walk in it,” Sansa suggested.

“That does sound good, Sansa. It’s really hot today,” Jon agreed.

Sansa became serious. “I wish… I wish we could stay out here like this.”

Jon nodded. “It’s a beautiful place. Wish we didn’t have to go to school tomorrow.”

Sansa frowned. “No. I mean… I wish we didn’t have to wake up from this place.”

Jon looked at her confused. “Wake up?”

Sansa looked at him with tears in her eyes. “Wake up, Jon. Wake up.”

There was a blaring sound. Jon’s eyes open to another Monday morning.

* * *

Jon yawned and stretched his arms above his head before blinking wearily. He’d been at his desk for three hours straight staring at the case files studying what was already noted by other agents up to this point. The Wyldlings were still the number one most wanted group in Westeros, but despite the increase of agents turned to Section 5, Jon and the other new transfers weren’t allowed to join in on the case just yet.

“You are going to handle some of the other cases that have been piling up on our desks while the rest of us handle those Wyldling bastards,” growled Alliser Thorne, the head of Section 5. So here Jon was along with Pyp, Grenn, Edd, and Halder Stone taking on half the pile while the other five transfers took the other half.

Edd was the most senior of their group of ten transfer agents, so he was in charge under Noye’s supervision. He decided that they’d split up and work on one case at a time until the pile of six cases was dealt with.

“Cheer up lads,” Deputy Donal Noye said. “You’re going to be taking on some tough sons of bitches just the same. Besides if you can handle these assholes, you’ll be ready to deal with those damned Wyldlings. Besides, we’re Section 5. Even the lowest priority cases in Section 5 are extremely important.”

Jon was disappointed about not joining in the Wyldlings task force, but he had to concede Noye was right. Jon’s group was currently working on a suspected serial killer on the loose in the Crownlands. It was very grim, depressing, and anger inducing reading about this piece of filth they were on the hunt for.

The first victim was killed two years ago. At first it was chalked off as another tragic murder. The fact the victim was a homeless woman who was a drug user and possibly a prostitute just sadly made people less inclined to care about her fate. Then another woman was killed a month later. By the time a fourth victim was discovered dead in a similar fashion, the police realized they had a potential serial killer on their hands. The murderer targeted women like the first victim. They were homeless and alone with few social connections for support. Some of them were drug users. Some were sex workers. Some were both. A tenth victim was discovered with very few leads. Since the victims were women that had few social connections to other people, there were less people keeping track of their movements and activities. Due to the life situations of the victims and the public locations, there were various sources of DNA at the crime scenes making it difficult to determine who the killer could be.

The DNA registry did track a large amount of DNA. However the loophole in the law passed almost 50 years ago made it so that anyone born within five years before the passage of the law weren’t required to have their DNA submitted. That meant that aside from the DNA samples in which they found definitive matches to the Registry, there were many people that weren’t included. It was too difficult a case to be tackled by the King’s Landing Metropolitan Police department. Therefore this case was transferred to WIA to track this criminal down before another woman was victimized.

Jon sighed as he closed the file and rubbed his eyes. He had spent days going over the facts about each victim and the investigation done in their crime scenes. It was beyond frustrating to see how uncaring society became that would leave people like these women in such a vulnerable state. Very few people mourned these young women. He couldn’t help but shudder as he saw the general age range of the victims. The youngest was 19 years old and the oldest was 27. He tried not to think too much about how girls like Arya and Sansa, if she were still alive, could easily be one of this guy’s victims.

“Are you okay, Jon?” Shella asked.

Jon looked at Shella. She was standing right next to his desk. He sighed again before running his hands through is unruly, black curls. “I’ll be okay once we find this son of a bitch and haul his ass to federal prison. He’s a disgusting asshole and the sooner we catch this guy the better off everyone in Westeros will be,” he growled as he glared at the closed case files.

Shella nodded with understanding. She didn’t know all the details of the cases everyone was working on, but she heard enough to know the basic information. As an administrative assistant, she did more than sort mail, order office supplies, and make sure the pantry always had coffee in stock. She occasionally had to do some filing and handle phone calls with people that want to send in potential tips to solve cases. At this moment, she was here for a different reason. She had two steaming mugs in her hands and she placed one on his desk. “It’s green tea with lemon and honey. I thought you might need it.”

Jon smiled at this. “Thank you. I’m impressed you gave me tea instead of coffee.” He picked up the mug and took an appreciative whiff of the tea. He blew on it a couple times before cautiously taking a sip. He savored the lemon and honey mixed with the earthy green tea before swallowing. The warm sensation afterwards reminded him of other moments where tea seemed to solve all his worries.

Shella smiled as well. “I figured you need something that would be soothing after the stuff you’ve been reading. I suppose you probably want some whiskey, but we don’t have alcohol here at the office. It’s against WIA protocol,” Shella said with a slight smirk. She drank some of her own tea as well.

Jon had to chuckle at that. He gestured at the chair near his desk. “Take a seat. You can’t be all that comfortable in those high heels all day.” Jon couldn’t help but notice Shella always wore high heels around the office. They made her long legs go on for days, but that wasn’t a very appropriate thing to think about at the moment. Plus it was completely distracting and what he didn’t need was distraction while hunting a serial killer.

Shella shrugged. The soft waves of her blond hair casually glowed under the florescent lights of the office. Women like Rhaenys or his Aunt Daenerys would probably be jealous of how glossy her hair was. “You get used to them. Besides, when I’m sitting at my desk I slip them off,” she said with a slight giggle.

Jon couldn’t help but grin at the image of Shella typing away some memo for Thorne or Noye with her shoes off and only stockings on. Before his mind could drift off to the image of her in _fishnet_ stockings in her high heels, he moved back to the current conversation. “I’m surprised you’re still here. Don’t you usually leave by 5:30?”

Shella nodded. “I do, but I had a few things to finish up and it’s taking longer than I thought. Besides, you shouldn’t be here alone.”

Jon couldn’t help but be touched by that. He didn’t expect anyone to be concerned about something like him being the only one left in the office. “You know what? I think we should call it a day. If we finish our drinks, do you… do you want to go out?”

Shella’s eyes widened a bit at that. Her grip on her mug seemed to tighten. “Go out to dinner? With you?”

Jon looked at her and nodded. “Yeah. It’s almost 7pm and well we could both get something to eat, right?” He took another drink of his tea, which was a bit cooler now. He only hoped he didn’t sound stupid.

Shella’s cheeks seemed to be a little pinker than a moment ago. “Well… I think that sounds like a great idea.” She partially covered her face as she drank more of her own tea.

Jon smiled. “Great. You ready to go in ten minutes?”

Shella returned his smile and lifted up her mug to him. “Sounds like a date.”

Jon lifted his mug to give her a toast as it were. “Sure sounds like one.”

* * *

Robb sighed as he looked at the files on his desk. Anyone who thinks that being chief aid to a Senator was easy needed their head examined. It was important for Robb to get more involved with politics here in King’s Landing as it was his duty to be not only Lord Stark of Winterfell, but he had to take his place in the Senate. He was grateful that Uncle Benjen stepped up and took the seat after his father’s tragic death. Benjen Stark proved his leadership abilities for the past fourteen years. Soon enough it’ll be Robb taking over. In the meantime it was important for Robb to make sure he fully understood the ins and outs of King’s Landing wheeling and dealing.

“It’ll drive you mad, Robb. No doubt about that. I never envied Ned when he had to take on our father’s seat, but he rose up to the challenge. You will too, Robb,” Uncle Benjen said to him before.

Still Robb knew he had no choice but to be ready. He promised to take over the Stark senate seat after he turned 27. It would allow Benjen to retire from politics. He knew perfectly well that Uncle Benjen didn’t like politics, but was a responsible man like every other Stark in existence.

There was a knock on the door. Robb looked up and called out, “Come in!”

The door opened and a young woman was standing there. She smiled warmly at him. “I’m not late am I?” she said with a slight purr to her voice.

Robb grinned at his visitor. “You’re just in time, Margaery.”

Margaery giggled and casually sat down on an empty spot on his desk. “I’m glad. I was stuck at the theater. We have a couple more weeks before previews start,” she said with a sigh.

Robb took one of her hands and squeezed. “Are you worried baby? I’m sure you’ll be amazing.”

Margaery offered him a tiny smile. “You really think so? I haven’t done a big production like this before. It’s the Dragonpit, Robb.” Despite the glamour and charm Margaery Tyrell always radiated, she was still at heart a young woman fresh out of drama school with only school productions and a couple local theater performances under her belt. The Dragonpit was once upon a time, the place where House Targaryen kept their dragons like a stable for horses. Dragons died centuries ago. The large space was converted into a large stadium and then became the largest theater in Westeros. Only huge productions were held there.

Robb stood up and hugged Margaery. She placed her head on his shoulder. He gently ran his fingers through her long, wavy locks of brown hair. “You are talented, graceful, charming, and beautiful. You’ll be amazing on that stage and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise, Margaery Tyrell.”

Margaery looked up at Robb and leaned into him giving him a kiss. It filled his whole being with warmth and love. They soon pulled apart gazing into each other’s eyes with growing smiles on their faces.

“You always know what to say, Robb Stark,” Margaery murmured as she gently ran a hand through his auburn curls.

“I can only hope,” he said with a sigh. He pulled away and began organizing his work before he could leave for the day. He had to make sure everything was neat and that he locked his desk drawers.

Margaery stood up and smiled at him. “You’re going to be an amazing senator. You’re going to be the youngest senator in a long time.”

Robb sighed at that. In an ideal world, he shouldn’t be a senator before he was fifty years old. Life could sometimes be very cruel and unfair that way. Would his father think he was ready? “I just don’t know if I’m ready.”

“Robb, you’ll be ready. Your uncle Benjen certainly thinks so. That’s why he agreed to let you take over the seat in a couple more years,” Margaery reasoned. “Besides, you do have some of your father’s and uncle’s old friends in the senate to support you too.”

Robb had to admit that was true. Senator Robert Baratheon was his father’s best friend. He’d be supportive in the Senate, but Uncle Benjen had warned him that Senator Baratheon wasn’t particularly dutiful about being a senator. Robb’s observations more or less told him what his uncle said was true. Robert Baratheon was barely in attendance at half the meetings he was supposed to be at. The ones in which he did attend, he said little and what little he did say wasn’t very relevant or helpful.

“Perhaps, but that’s not something to worry about now.” Robb carefully placed the documents away and locked the drawers. His laptop was logged off and he finished unplugging everything and packing it away in his messenger bag. “Let’s go, love.”

Robb and Margaery left the offices and headed to Cregan’s Bar & Grill, a popular tavern just a few minutes away from all the government office buildings. It was popular precisely because it was near the offices that staffers for the Northern senators and district representatives like to go relax at after work. The fact it was also a short walking distance from WIA headquarters made it convenient for Jon and Robb to meet up on a regular basis if one or both best friends weren’t busy because of work.

“Have you met this girl, Jon is seeing?” Margaery asked curiously.

“No, but then again they only just started dating,” Robb explained.

Margaery arched an eyebrow at this. “How recently?”

Robb had to think about it for a moment. He had to admit even he was surprised at how soon he was meeting Jon’s mystery girlfriend. “I think he said they only had their first date a couple weeks ago. She’s the new assistant office manager, I think.”

Both of Margaery’s eyebrows were raised as her eyes widened. “Oh my God! He’s already introducing her to his friends? Mister Loner? Secret Agent Broody Man?” Margaery started grinning at this.

Robb had to chuckle. “Does Jon know you call him all those things?”

Margaery lightly shoved Robb. “You wouldn’t dare say a word about it!”

Robb murmured, “I might be persuaded to keep my silence with… the right incentive.”

They were approaching Cregan’s and they could hear the sound of rock music and conversation emanating from the place. “I believe I can pay the price you’re asking for later, dear,” Margaery said with a purr.

Robb opened the door and they both walked in. Classic rock was blasting loudly with a good sized crowd of people filling up spots all over the place. They walked towards the hostess station. “Hi, party of four under Jon Snow,” Robb said loudly over the music.

The hostess smiled. “Follow me.”

Robb and Margaery followed the hostess as they weaved through the shifting crowd of patrons. She led them downstairs where it wasn’t quite as loud, but there was still a buzz of conversations happening. Down here there was a mix of booths along the walls and tables that could accommodate a decent sized party of people. They could see a booth where Jon was sitting with a blond woman at his side.

“Robb! Marge!” Jon called out with a wave.

Robb and Margaery took their seats in the booth as the hostess place two more menus in front of them. “Your server is Olly. Have a nice evening!” Everyone at the table thanked her before she left.

“Were you waiting long?” Robb asked Jon.

Jon shook his head. “We’ve only been here a couple minutes. Anyways, Robb? Margaery? This is Shella Rivers. Shella, this is my best friend Robb and his girlfriend, Margaery.”

Shella smiled warmly at them. “Hi, it’s great to finally meet you. Jon has mentioned you a lot in particular, Robb.”

Robb carefully observed her while trying not to be too obvious about it. No doubt Margaery was going to do the same thing. Given the social circles and rivalries that happened in The Reach, Margaery was used to observing people and keeping herself at the top of Reach society.

“Well to be fair, Jon and I have known each other for a long time. How old do you think we were when we first met? Two months old? Three?” Robb chuckled.

It wasn’t totally an exaggeration. Catelyn insisted that Lyanna feel free to drop off baby Jon with her so Lyanna didn’t have to worry about hiring a babysitter when she decided to go back to work. Lyanna often told Catelyn that she really saved Lyanna’s sanity knowing that her baby boy would be looked after and safe while she was busy helping Ned Stark at work.

Jon grinned at that. “We did know each other for a long time. I think we shared your crib when your mother put us down for naps. Wasn’t easy for her watching after two babies at once.”

Robb waved his hand at that. “Nah, it was good practice for her raising five…” Robb cleared his throat. “… five of us.”

The moment grew a bit solemn at the reminder that Sansa was gone. Things got easier when Margaery spoke up. “So what did you do before you started working at WIA, Shella?”

Jon and Robb looked at Margaery appreciatively. Shella took the hint. “Well actually WIA is my first full time job after university. I was working temp jobs at an employment agency. I did internships and part-time jobs at school, but well it wasn’t easy once I got the diploma. I had done three temp jobs before I got hired at WIA. If I make it past the three month trial period, I’ll get hired permanently with full benefits. So far, they’ve only guaranteed me healthcare coverage and transportation, which from a temp worker’s perspective isn’t that bad considering.”

Margaery smiled. “I remember doing temp jobs too in between community theater gigs. It wasn’t always fun, but it was interesting still. I think in an odd way it really helped my acting.”

“Really? That’s interesting. How so?” Jon asked.

Before Margaery could answer a young man with blond hair a couple shades darker than Shella approached. “Evening, I’m Olly. Would anyone like a drink? Food?” He looked at each of them with a smile.

“I think we could get drinks now. What do you guys think?” Jon asked.

Shella nodded. “I know what I want. What about the rest of you?”

“Oh we come here once in a while. We pretty much know what we want when we get here,” Robb explained.

“Right. I’m getting a bottle of Umberland ale,” Jon said.

Robb nodded. “I’ll have Umberland too. Did you want a cocktail, Marge?”

Margaery smiled. “I’ll have a Lys Love Potion.”

Shella thought for a moment. “I’ll have a glass of Arbor Gold.”

Olly nodded as he scribbled each order. “Anything to eat?”

Jon glanced at Shella. “You said you wanted to try the wings?”

Shella nodded. “They sounded delicious.”

Jon turned back to Olly. “We’ll start with a couple orders of the Fire Wings and truffle fries.”

Olly nodded as he finished writing down their order. “All right. Do you want to keep a menu?”

Robb replied. “Yes thanks.” Olly took three menus with him.

“As I was about to say before, I actually spent as much time just observing people at those temp jobs as I was doing the job itself. It was just like back at drama school when we had to do all those assignments picking random people and then imagining who they are, what their lives were like, what they’re think, etc. It’s good doing those sorts of exercises. It really allows me to better understand why someone acts and does what they do. It makes performances more realistic,” Margaery explained.

Shella smiled. “That’s really amazing. I wish I could do that. I guess the closest thing like acting I ever did was when I was kid, I’d make up all sorts of imaginary worlds and stuff. Sometimes I scribbled them down in a notebook. But eventually those notebooks got tossed in the trash or something.”

Robb felt a pang at that. He too knew a little girl who wrote stories in her notebook. Except unlike Shella, they kept all of Sansa’s things. The only things they could bare to give away were her clothes to other little girls that could use them. Some of her toys were given away. However Arya fought tooth and nail to make sure none of Sansa’s stuffed animals went away.

“Sansa loved them. They’re my friends too. You can’t give them away!” young Arya yelled out in frustration. Catelyn Stark didn’t have the heart to fight with Arya about it. A part of her didn’t want to give away the stuffed animals either. Sansa did love them very much and she liked to use them in her games. Getting rid of them would be like throwing away Sansa.

A glance at Jon showed that he too was thinking the same way. As supportive as Margaery was then and now, Jon was the only non-Stark to truly understand how he felt about what happened to his father and sister. He knew that pain very well.

Soon enough Olly the server returned with their drinks. “Just another five minutes for your food to get here,” he reassured them before leaving to tend to another table.

“A toast to new friends!” Margaery said. She always was good at changing subjects when things got awkward.

“To new friends!” They all toasted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're reading this chapter I hope you enjoyed the surprise ending for the previous chapter. I'm cool with you guys coming up with theories as to what you think is going on. Unfortunately... you'll have to wait a while to find out. I literally finished writing the rough draft of chapter 13 and yeah... you still won't know why Shella is fancasted as Sophie Turner. It's looking like you're going to need to wait for probably chapter 15.
> 
> On the one hand it's probably great to you that there's so much more content coming up. On the other hand, you're probably annoyed you're not getting your questions answered. I just hope that the results will be worth the wait to you guys!
> 
> One final note. If you are Tumblr users (or you like looking at Tumblrs) I have one. http://fangirlfish.tumblr.com/ I post first drafts of this story on there. I'm also working on a chapter by chapter analysis of the first ASOIAF book: A Game of Thrones. The most recent chapter I posted online is Chapter 29 aka Sansa II as of 6/10/18.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter we get a new POV that I hope I might be using again at some point in the future. We're going to get a mini catch up with the Starks. Also we get another frustrating day at work for Jon.

Arya stretched before she was going to start her early morning jog. She always jogged in the morning bright and early. It was a habit she picked up in high school after she started playing golf. It was one of the few sports Psi users like her were allowed to play. She, like Robb, is a Level 1 Psi user. She had fast reflexes and a “second sense” of when things like balls were going to possibly hit her even if it’s from behind where she couldn’t possibly see it coming. She thought it was totally stupid. Not that there were many Level 5 users, but she’d understand why they wouldn’t want some with telekinesis playing sports. She felt the restrictions on people like her were stupid and unfair. It wasn’t like she could move the ball with her mind or use powers to read someone’s mind or influence their actions. She’s just good at making sure she didn’t get hit by a stupid ball.

After she finished her stretches, she opened the front door and stepped outside. It was beautiful and sunny today. That was good. Nothing like sunny skies and a light breeze to make her run go smoothly. Arya made sure the door was closed behind her and started on her run.

It was good just running and not worrying about anything other than her immediate surroundings. Unlike some people, she didn’t wear ear buds and listen to music. Aside from it wasn’t very safe to do so, it also prevented you from truly connecting with the world around you. It was good hearing the birds chirping, the occasional car passing by, and even the sound of kids on their bikes. The green leaves on the trees waved in the breeze and the fluffy clouds were drifting across the blue sky.

It was easier to focus on the here and now. Thinking about other things was too painful for Arya. It wasn’t easy coming back to her family home when school was over for the semester. It was harder in some ways now that it was summer break. She could have found some excuse to either stay in Braavos or in Oldtown for the summer. However it wasn’t right for her to do that. She could tell that it pained her mother when one of her children was away from her. Arya couldn’t blame her.

It was in many ways strange to think about how time flew by since her father and sister died. She was just two years away from graduating from university with a degree in sports medicine. Robb was going to be taking over their father’s senate seat in another couple years. Right now he was busy being Uncle Benjen’s personal assistant following him at meetings and stuff. He was also disgustingly in love with Margaery Tyrell. It was obvious to everyone ever since they were kids. Arya didn’t want it to be true because it was too mushy, but Sansa could tell even when they were all still children.

Bran was going to be starting his first year of university in the fall. He was one of the very few people that could be classified as a Level 5 Psi user. They did additional tests when he started high school, and it became clear he had a lot of advanced abilities. They all suspected as much. When Bran woke up after two months in the coma, he didn’t know what had happened to father and Sansa. It was very heartbreaking explaining what happened. Even now she remembered how his tray table and the objects on it began shaking. He was fighting tears and the urge to start screaming with the same pain they all felt. If it weren’t for the fact she’d be constantly monitored and very restricted, she’d envy Bran’s ability to move stuff with his mind or know what others were thinking if he concentrated.

Rickon was currently in middle school trying to maintain his grades. But when he wasn’t studying, he was playing basketball or video games. Arya knew it wasn’t easy for the kid growing up without any memory of their father. At least Bran was old enough to have something about their father to remember. The thought made her angry.

Jon had told her about his transfer to Section 5. She was proud of him. She also pleased when he made her a promise. “I’ll find those bastards that did it, Arya. It’s my chance to do it too.” Jon was the only one other than the Starks that felt as angry and pained by what those bastards did to her family.

Soon enough her run around the neighborhood led her back to her house. She got inside and was breathing hard. She was going to take a shower before getting breakfast. She could smell coffee brewing and bacon being cooked. She stepped into the kitchen to get some water and greet whoever might be there other than her mother.

Robb was at the table reading the morning paper. Their mother still had a subscription to a physical newspaper. He already had a coffee poured in his mug and made the way he liked it: milk and sugar. There were plates set around the table with forks and knives as well. Robb probably set them for their mother. It was a Saturday morning, so he was wearing a t-shirt with the Winterfell Direwolves logo on it. He had a pair of gray shorts on as well and his favorite flip flops.

Bran and Rickon were probably still asleep since neither of them was in the kitchen. They were teenage boys doing what teenage boys do: staying up late at night playing video games or chatting with their friends.

“Morning,” Arya said casually as she walked towards the fridge. She grabbed a glass from the nearby cabinet and filled it with water from the fridge.

Robb glanced up from the paper. “Morning, sis. Good run today?”

Arya took a couple gulps of water. “It’s nice outside. Perfect day for running and well… getting out of the house.”

Catelyn Stark started piling on the finished slices of bacon onto a serving dish. “Arya, can you put this on the table please?”

Arya did as asked and enjoyed the delicious smell of the bacon. “What’s on the menu today?” She asked with a cheeky grin.

Catelyn Stark still made meals for her family. It was a point of pride and she hoped that her kids would learn those skills too. “Bacon, scrambled eggs, and there’s plenty of bread for toast,” she replied before grabbing a large bowl filled with beaten eggs. She used a fork to beat them a little more before she started cooking them in the still hot frying pan.

Arya placed the bacon at the center part of the table where there was plenty of room. She made sure there would still be a spot where they could put another serving dish of scrambled eggs. “What are you both doing today?” Arya asked conversationally.

Robb looked up from his paper. “I’m helping Mom fix something in the backyard. I’m seeing Jon and Theon later tonight. Margaery is coming along too. Actually so is Jon’s girlfriend.”

Arya frowned slightly at this. She had heard about this mystery girlfriend that Jon apparently had now. They’d been properly dating for a month. She had yet to meet this girl, but she wasn’t completely sure about Jon dating someone. It’s not so much she loved Jon “that way” herself, but she couldn’t help being worried about him. The last girl he dated was Ygritte Archer. However she didn’t want to think about that bitch. She could only hope this Shella girl was better than Ygritte.

Robb sighed. “Don’t look at me like that. Shella really is a nice girl. I like her and she definitely suits Jon. She’s very cheerful and friendly. Always really helpful and she does volunteer work. She makes Jon smile.”

Arya was feeling more optimistic after hearing Robb describe Shella. That was the one thing that worried her most, that Jon wasn’t happy. It hadn’t been easy for Jon anymore than it was for any of them. Jon tried not to get pulled into politics or societal pressures of being a member of the royal family. Jon was technically a prince, but he managed to avoid the limelight. It helped that he was legally still Jon Snow and not Jon Targaryen or whatever silly Valyrian name he would have been given.

Catelyn was casually stirring the eggs with a spatula. “Tell Jon he can still come over to dinner whenever he wants. He can even bring his girlfriend too.”

Robb smirked. “I don’t think Shella even met his family yet. It’s kind of weird introducing her to you before his parents or his siblings.”

Arya finished off her water. “That is weird. How come he hasn’t introduced his girlfriend to his family yet?” Arya couldn’t imagine the idea of other people meeting Robb’s girlfriend for a month before anyone in their family did. But then again Robb’s girlfriend is someone they’ve known since they were all in primary school.

Robb grimaced a bit before drinking some more of his coffee. “Well it’s not easy introducing a girlfriend to your family if you’re a prince. I mean sure Jon’s not likely to end up on the throne or anything, but still. There’s potential for scrutiny.”

Arya had to admit that’s a valid point. She had heard Jon had a few first dates, but the only girl he actually had been with for anything more than a couple dates was that bitch Ygritte. She remembered hearing about how Jon’s family didn’t really approve of Ygritte. What more or less sealed her fate in their eyes was when she cheated on Jon and she was trying to sell gossip to the tabloids.

Catelyn nodded as she finished cooking the eggs. “Why don’t you go take a shower, Arya? I’ll make sure there’s food left for you if you take longer.”

Arya nodded. “Thanks Mom.” Arya hurried off. She was determined to find out more about this Shella and see for herself if this girl was right for Jon.

* * *

**FLEABOTTOM SLASHER SERIAL KILLER STILL ON THE LOOSE** (Westeros National Post)

By Willem Fairmarket

The infamous, but still unidentified killer has struck again. There are thirteen known victims, but there is still the possibility that there are other victims that have never been connected to this murderer. The rash of deaths seems to have brought to light the increased need for advocacy among the disadvantaged of King’s Landing citizenry.

Princess Daenerys Targaryen has been a very active champion of various causes ranging from improving literacy to providing food and shelter to the homeless. She had been giving an address to the National Women’s Action Network last night at their annual fundraising banquet.

“It’s been tragic that all the murder victims have been young women who have fallen off the common notice of society at large. They are all drug users, homeless, and have participated in sex work to provide a modest form of income in their dire circumstances. We aren’t doing enough to reach out and help these young women. They need help and kindness. We aren’t just reaching out to them to save them from this killer. We’re doing this to give them back their lives,” said Princess Daenerys.

Due to the difficulties in the investigation, the case had been transferred to the Westerosi Investigation Agency (WIA) nearly two months ago. There has been skepticism whether the case was serious enough to warrant the agency participating in the investigation.

“It has become clear that the case is more than the local law enforcement to handle alone. Before it was transferred to our agency, evidence collected by the King’s Landing police department suggested a methodical killer is responsible for these unfortunate deaths. Investigative resources were shifted to us so the police can focus on other cases that require their more immediate attention. Certainly these young women deserve justice and we’re in a position to give it to them regardless of how long it takes. We’re determined to get to the bottom of this make sure no one else has to die,” said WIA director Jeor Mormont.

* * *

Director Mormont sat at the head of the table. He always had a meeting with Section 5 agents to find out the status of their high priority cases that needed to be solved as soon as possible. Alliser Thorne’s men were still sifting through all the leads and latest info transferred from CIB. It seemed like they had a lot of possible directions to find all the members of the Wyldlings, but they covered their tracks well. They still didn’t know who their leader “the Lord of Bones” really was and where he currently was located.

“He’s like ghost, this bastard ‘Lord of Bones.’ Making a mockery of us all and those people they murdered. Scum he is,” Thorne growled in disgust. “Aye, and all those people hiding him have as much blood on their hands as the Wyldlings themselves. We should haul some of them in jail and see how fast they’ll sing some tunes.”

There were some murmurs of agreement. Director Mormont frowned. “Alliser, I know it’s frustrating, but we need to do things right and proper. We can’t let anyone say we did something wrong and then they get off on lesser charges because of our over eagerness to get resolutions. What about this Flea Bottom Slasher? We’ve had another poor girl killed last week. That makes her Victim number 14,” he said looking at Jon and his teammates.

Edd cleared his throat. “We’re proposing that we bring in some extra assistance on the case. Actually Snow here was the one who put us in touch with a friend of his who can help.”

“Is that so, Snow?” Thorne said with a slight sneer.

Jon resisted the urge to sigh. Thorne was very skeptical of his qualifications given his age and relatively short time working at the agency. “Actually one of my oldest friends is a research geneticist at Westeros University at Oldtown. If we can get the right permissions, we can have him and a couple other colleagues of his to help us test the DNA samples we’ve retrieved from the various crime scenes.”

Deputy Mallister furrowed his eyebrows at this. “I thought we’ve cleared the hits on the database and we have the unknown DNA samples.”

Jon nodded. “Well I’ll summarize what my friend Dr. Tarly said. He proposed that by taking the samples that we can’t find perfect matches on the DNA database, he and his colleagues can use genealogy research techniques to see if there are relatives on the database. From there he can determine any relatives that aren’t in the database and then we can start checking out those individuals.” Jon took a deep breath and looked at the senior officers in the department.

Deputy Mallister nodded thoughtfully. “That does sound very promising. It will still take weeks to sort through the matches and then determine who likely fits the correct age range. It’s still going to do more to solve the case than looking at the other clues already in the case files alone.”

Thorne narrowed his eyes at this. “Confident about that friend of yours, Snow?”

Everyone turned back and forth between Thorne and Jon. Jon nodded. “If Sam Tarly says he can do something, he’ll move mountains to make it happen.”

“Director?” Thorne asked skeptically.

Director Mormont stared at Jon for what felt like forever. The director eventually nodded. “All right then. Have Dr. Tarly come to the office as soon as possible. We’ll have a chat and if things go well, we’ll have Unella prepared the confidentiality agreements. Time is of the essence in this case. One more victim for this killer is one person too many.”

Everyone in the room nodded and murmured their agreements. Jon was internally pleased that his suggestion was being taken seriously. He was confident Sam’s idea would give them some more promising leads. Soon everyone stood up to head back to their desks that is except for him.

“Snow? Come with me to my office,” Director Mormont said.

“Yes sir,” Jon said.

Both men gathered their things from the conference room and walked down the short hallway to the director’s office. Mormont took his seat behind the desk while Jon closed the door before taking his own seat.

“Snow, you’ve done well thus far. Edd Tollett has said you’ve been very hard working on this Flea Bottom Slasher case,” Mormont said matter of factly.

Jon sighed. “But not good enough if another girl has gotten killed. We couldn’t save her and we’re not acting fast enough.” Jon clenched his fist still thinking about the moment he heard the news about the newest victim. He felt cold and sick all at once.

Director Mormont nodded. “It always feels like that when you work on cases, lad. It never feels like you’re acting fast enough and it becomes all the worse when someone else dies while the perpetrator is still out there on the loose. The longer you stay on the job, the more you’ll experience nights like that. You can’t give into the frustration and despair. You use it as a reminder that there are monsters out there that need to be stopped before it’s too late. Even if it feels like there’s no end in sight, we’ll get them one way or another.”

Jon nodded. “You’re right sir. I’ll just keep at it until we’ve got him.”

Director Mormont nodded. “Good. Dismissed Agent Snow.”

Jon nodded and left for his desk. The Flea Bottom Slasher was out there and they were going to catch him one way or another.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At some point in the near future, I'm doing to do some rewrites and edits to chapters as I've felt like there are occasional detail and consistency issues as I kept writing. Also I start to realize there are things I could do to improve the story by adding more material, taking out some things, or just rewrite events that have happened. I haven't quite decided if this will be another week long hiatus, or if I'm going to wait to finish the story first. I'm cool with getting some second opinions from you readers about this.
> 
> I feel this way mainly because I think my enthusiasm for this story has resulted in me possibly rushing to work on this and get it out for people to read before I thought out all the details. In case you were wondering, I know how the story ends and a lot of the main events that lead to said ending. Just LOTS of details were never fully fleshed out ahead of time. So yeah...
> 
> One last note guys, I have a tumblr. You can find me at fangirlfish [dot] tumblr [dot]. If you are a tumblr user, follow me if you're interested in my thoughts on fandom stuff. As you can guess, my current fandoms is ASOIAF.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter we get to see Robb at work with his uncle Senator Benjen Stark. Jon and Shella have a nice date, though they have a lot to think about.

Robb carefully scribbled on his notepad as he quietly sat right behind his uncle. They were currently listening to the recent reports from both Director Mormont and Director Varys. It was the intelligence committee meeting and they were getting the latest news from Varys.

“I’ve gotten very few additional bits of information since the previous meeting regarding the Wyldlings. I’ve had agents on the ground carefully looking for anything of note, but nothing worth passing on. Still there are some potential leads that will require further investigation before I can report on them. I am hoping that’ll change soon,” Director Varys said solemnly.

Benjen frowned. “I certainly hope so. The longer these renegades are on the loose, they’ll wreak more havoc until they’re stopped. We have taken years to try tracking them all and they’ve managed to kill more people in that time.”

Director Varys nodded along with everyone else in the room. “Indeed, Senator Stark. It grieves me as well every time they’ve attacked. Director Mormont’s men have done excellent work as well. We’ll continue our investigation, but without an ‘inside man’ we’ll never be certain we can catch every member still at large.”

“I do expect you to do better, Varys. Any news on your end, Director Mormont?” asked Benjen.

“We’ve recently recruited some geneticists to aid us in one avenue of investigation on the Fleabottom Slasher case. Doctor Samwell Tarly is the lead researcher. He’s one of the few geneticists that have high level access to the DNA database. His actual expertise is in genetically inherited disease, which means he has experience in genealogical research as well. We’re optimistic his unique skill set will provide us with additional potential suspects to look into. His team has only started last week after we had them vetted for security reasons. He has said it can take up to 3 months to analyze all the DNA samples we’ve given him access to. In the meantime we’re still combing through additional evidence we’ve gotten from the most recent victim’s crime scene,” explained Director Mormont.

Robb jotted this down and barely hid his smile at the mention of Sam Tarly. Jon and Sam had mentioned Sam was being vetted and having a background check before he would be called onto the Fleabottom Slasher case. This meeting was the first time he knew for a fact his old friend was approved and on the killer’s trail.

“That’s good news,” Benjen said before the meeting continued another half hour as Mormont finished apprising the senators the status of the major cases WIA was working on. Soon the meeting end and everyone parted from the secured conference room.

Benjen and Robb soon left Parliament Hall and got into the town car waiting for them. The Northern senatorial offices weren’t far, but it was mainly for convenience and security reasons that senators leaving official buildings needed car transportation.

“Sam is probably proud and rightfully so. That lad always was bright and hardworking,” Benjen nodded approvingly as he leaned into his seat.

Robb smirked. “True, but it helped him that he has Jon to get him an opportunity outside academia.”

Benjen chuckled. “Aye. That lad needs to get out of the laboratory once in a while and experience something other than microscopes and test tubes.”

It was more or less a running joke among everyone that knew Sam that he really spent a lot of hours in the lab doing his research work. It was only due to the fact Gilly was a lab assistant that the couple even saw each other on a regular basis despite living together. Still Sam joined in group meet ups whenever something was organized.

“He does though Uncle Ben. In fact we’re going to be going out together in a group date with Jon and Theon soon,” Robb replied.

Benjen arched an eyebrow at that. “Is that so? You’re the only one that has met this girlfriend of Jon’s. Is she really good enough for him?”

Robb nodded. “I think she is. He’s very happy with her. Though I don’t know if she knows the truth about him.”

Benjen frowned. “She needs to know if they’re really going to be serious. Mormont, Pyke, and Mallister are the only ones at the agency that know who Jon really is. The royal family has gone out of their way to make sure he gets privacy. It will however not stay that way for long. Especially if this girl continues dating him.”

Robb sighed at that. It was the sad state of Jon’s life. He would be allowed to live “an ordinary citizen’s life” until he turned 30, then he’d have to quit whatever occupation he was in and take his “proper place” as a member of the royal family.

As the Prince of Dragonstone, Jon’s father was already a senator with Egg as his personal assistant the way Robb was with his Uncle Benjen. Jon’s mother upon her marriage to Jon’s father had to resign from her place as Ned Stark’s personal assistant. As the future queen of Westeros, it wouldn’t have been appropriate for her to continue working as an assistant to a senator. She spent most of her time working on various charities and social causes that the royal family supported. Lyanna Snow-Targaryen was as busy in her royal duties as she ever was working for a senator. Rhaenys was allowed to attend university and then law school. There was speculation that at some point in the future she might be tapped as Master of laws for either her father or her brother when one of them ascends the throne in the future.

Jon’s aunt Daenerys was also a promoter of charitable organizations. She was currently engaged to one of those Dothraki horselords, Khal Drogo Barbosi. Prince Viserys was more or less a playboy senator. As the Prince of Summerhall, he was also a lord and guaranteed a place in the senate. He attended meetings, but barely participated in anything other than roll calls and votes.

Jon’s role in the royal family was as much a mystery to Robb as it was to Jon. Hence Jon and Lyanna were able to convince the king and Prince Rhaegar to allow Jon the ability to have an independent career away from politics. As “the spare prince” Jon was likely going to be expected to be partake of the public image duties that most of the royal family participated in. It was a shame if that was Jon’s fate. He was too smart and talented a young man to be “idle rich.” Things were unlikely to get any better if Jon and Shella were going to become serious.

“Jon knows. He’s waiting for the right time. It’s not easy to tell a girl that ‘oh by the way, I’m third in line to the Iron Throne.’ He wants to make sure he and Shella are a solid thing before he’ll tell her. That’s what he said to me at any rate,” Robb explained.

The car stopped and both Stark men stepped out heading into the senatorial offices. “He’d better do it soon if he knows what is good for his sanity,” Benjen said with a chuckle.

* * *

Jon and Shella arrived at the Braavosi restaurant just in time for their reservations. Merolo’s Restorante was a place that quite a few people recommended to Jon for delicious food, reasonable prices and a perfect atmosphere for a quiet evening. It was also a small restaurant that only had twenty tables with a few seats at the bar. They had a tiny stage with just enough room for musicians to play live music. It was just big enough to fit an upright piano if they had a pianist playing that night.

The restaurant was mostly full, which was good for a Wednesday night. The front windows were open to allow a pleasant early evening breeze to blow through. It had a nice view of Blackwater Bay. A few centuries ago, it would have been unthinkable to have people around the bay given how smelly it was with the refuse that flowed out into the ocean. However environmental laws passed a couple centuries ago changed things.

“Good evening, can I get you a drink?” their server asked.

“Do you want anything?” Jon asked Shella.

Shella smiled. “Maybe we could just share a bottle of wine? Something that’ll be good for our meal?”

Jon nodded. “We were both thinking of getting seafood. Any house wines you recommend?”

“Yes. We do have a good white wine that will go with most of our seafood dishes,” the server replied.

“Alright we’ll get a bottle to share,” Jon said. After he and Shella placed their orders, the server left them alone.

Shella enjoyed looking around the restaurant and taking in the atmosphere. There was a pianist playing some jazz music softly. “This is wonderful. I would never have known this place existed if we weren’t coming here for dinner,” she said happily.

Jon grinned. “This place came highly recommended by several people I know. I figured this would be the sort of place you’d enjoy.”

Shella smiled tenderly at him. “You really are sweet, Jon. You are right though. This place has a lot of amazing food I’d love to try. I couldn’t help noticing they have some really tasty desserts on their menu. The lemon mousse sounds amazing.”

Jon was amused. Shella loved lemon flavored desserts and Jon indulged that love whenever they went out to dinner. “If there’s room, we can have it if you really want.”

Shella nodded eagerly. “Don’t you worry about that, Mr. Snow. I’ll always find room for lemon mousse. Besides, not everyone can do good dessert. Being able to produce delicious desserts is a real sign of culinary skills, you know.”

“You’ve proven that to be the case,” Jon replied. He couldn’t help but be impressed with the fact that Shella not only made most of her lunches, but she invited him over for dinner a couple times. He was always able to make food for himself as needed, but he couldn’t make anything as advanced as what Shella was able to do. He actually picked up a couple recipes that he could manage from her.

Shella blushed a bit. “Well I enjoy making delicious food. It brings people together and makes them happy. It’s not only from eating the food, but being with other people and making memories together. Besides, well made food is food from the heart really.”

“That’s really great, Shella. It’s funny, but Robb’s mother is the same way. She always has delicious meals and dinner parties. Actually she’s been writing a parenting / party hosting blog for a few years. She’s been working on a book too,” Jon said.

Shella’s eyes widened. “I’m impressed. She sounds like someone I should talk to or at least read her blog. I’d really love to know what the web address is.”

Jon nodded. The waiter returned with their wine and breadsticks to snack on while they waited for their meal. “I’ll send you the link next time I’m online. Do you have any plans this weekend?”

Shella took a small bite into the thin breadstick and swallowed before answering. “I have some chores to do in my apartment, but I don’t have much else happening. Did you want to do something together?”

Jon nodded. “Well Robb told me that there’s a plan to do a group get together this Saturday. He was wondering if we wanted to go. It’s more or less a group date.” He took a sip of the wine their server poured for them. It was very refreshing.

Shella looked interested. “What exactly were they thinking of doing? And who else will be there?”

“Well Robb said we’re just going to go watch a movie and maybe go get a pizza afterwards. There’s a great pizza place near the movie theater we usually go to afterwards. As for who is going, it’s Robb and Margaery, Sam and Gilly, and I think Theon and Jeyne. It’s possible Loras and Renly might tag along, but they’re not confirmed yet,” Jon explained.

Shella considered this. “Well it sounds fun. What kind of movie would we be watching?”

Jon chuckled. “There was a huge debate, but everyone agreed to watch Swords in the Storm.”

Shella grinned at that. “I wanted to watch that movie. I loved reading the original Cycle of Snow and Ash series.”

Jon took a bite into the breadstick he plucked from the basket. “Well all Margaery and Jeyne like to talk about is how handsome Jaime Lannister is,” he said rolling his eyes.

It caused a great stir years ago when Senator Lannister’s son refused to have anything to do with politics or being involved in Lannister business interests. He found interest in acting while at school and went to study theater and dramatic arts. Even while he was in school, he had done some modeling work and got roles in small movies and TV shows. What proved he was a real actor and not just some pretty rich boy doing it for a lark was being cast in the first Cycle of Snow and Ash movie, _Battle for the Throne_. Jaime was cast as the troubled anti-hero Ser Niklaus de Walden.

Shella giggled. “He is handsome, but I have to admit I prefer Kristof Hamilton to Niklaus de Walden. I like the rugged, steady, and brave type. Maybe I do prefer someone who is like a knight… even if that hero is broody at times.”

Jon didn’t have to reply as the server arrived with their orders. The server placed the plate of linguine with shrimp and clams in front of Shella and roasted salmon with pasta shells and vegetables in front of Jon. “Enjoy your meal!” the server said before refilling their glasses and then leaving.

“Since you’re interested, I’ll just let Robb know we’re both in,” Jon said as he started using his fork to cut into the salmon filet. It was nicely cooked and the fork went easily through the fish.

“Oh yes, it sounds like a lot of fun. I’m actually excited to meet more of your friends. Aside from the guys at work, I’ve only met Robb and Margaery,” Shella said agreeably before she started twirling her noodles with her fork.

Jon couldn’t help but notice something with her observation. “You know I don’t think I’ve met any of your friends,” he said before taking a bite of the salmon.

Shella chewed thoughtfully. “You are right. I should introduce you to a few of them. Though I’m just not sure if it’s safe considering who you are.”

Jon resisted the urge to flinch at that. Did she know…? “What do you mean?”

Shella smiled. “You are a WIA agent. You’re not supposed to reveal you’re an agent considering you might need to be undercover on an assignment.”

“You’re right about that. We’ll talk about that some more later.” Jon sighed. He has a lot of explaining to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As of this posting (6/24/18), I'm trying to finish writing chapter 14. I'll be shifting over to working my Book Analysis series on my Tumblr as soon as I get chapter 14 written. The last Book analysis chapter I posted was on 6/15/18 where I did an analysis of Chapter 32 aka Arya III. I typically post 3 of those chapters a week on Tumblr. I prefer to have the entries written ahead of time before doing some edits and then posting. However I only have 3 pre-written currently. I'd prefer to have a LOT more than just 3. I'm decided to be super ambitious by giving myself a Tumblr hiatus for a couple weeks and start posting new chapters in July. In the meantime i'm going to try to get another 6 more chapters written, but I might wind up only managing another 3 chapters before I start posting again next week.
> 
> I'm still debating about when I want to go back to the early chapters and do some re-writes and maybe include additional content. I am always grateful to everyone that leave kudos, subscribe and even leave comments. I really appreciate the support. Writers always like to know that what we write and share is actually good to other people.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We get a new POV in the form of Sam Tarly! Also we get another date night with Jon and Shella. Jon has to have a serious talk with her.

**ANNUAL RICHEST PEOPLE IN WESTEROS LIST** (Steel Street Journal)

  1. Petyr Baelish



The venture capitalist has been very successful for several years through careful investing and deft choice of new businesses to promote has resulted in Baelish’s success. “I never forget my roots. It was always important to me that I pass along opportunities I was given to people that show potential. I think of myself as really good at spotting the potential in other people.”

Mr. Baelish recently purchased new office space in Gulltown. The office space is his planned new headquarters for his Baelish Ventures, Ltd. There are plans for satellite offices in other regions of Westeros as Baelish Ventures increases its presence in both the financial and service sectors.

~*~*~*~

Samwell Tarly was always confident in the lab and even in the classroom on the rare occasions when he had to be a teaching assistant for a professor. It was very nerve wracking being at WIA headquarters presenting the latest findings in his research work. Even Sam found himself wondering how fortuitous it was to use his skills for more than just academic research. However using his skillset to solve a crime and catch a serial killer was something he never imagined. Even now he remembered how he wound up getting involved.

It began almost three months earlier when he and Gilly invited Jon and Shella over for dinner. Gilly thought it would be a good opportunity to not only catch up with Jon, but properly meet his new girlfriend, Shella Rivers. Sam agreed a relaxing dinner at home with friends was a nice way to meet new people in their social circle. So far only Robb and Margaery met Shella and they had good things to say about her. Sam was hopeful for Jon’s sake. It was never easy watching Jon trying to fit in the unexpected world of the royal family and “high society.”

Sam was setting the table while Gilly was checking on the roasted chicken in the oven when the doorbell rang. Sam finished placing the wine glasses at each of the place settings when he hurried to the front door of the apartment.

“Sam!” Jon said with a grin.

“Jon!” Both friends gave each other a quick hug before Sam stepped aside to let Jon and Shella in. “Welcome! Feel free to take off your shoes. We have some slippers for you to use,” Sam said. It was unusual, but it was a habit that they picked up from a foreign exchange student they met when they were younger. Sam had to admit, it seemed sensible for visitors to take off their shoes. It would track less dirt at home and also be more comfortable for visitors.

Jon nodded and turned to his girlfriend. “Shella, love? This is one of my oldest friends after Robb, Samwell Tarly.” Jon turned to Sam. “This Sam is my girlfriend, Shella.”

Sam took a moment to observe Shella. She was tall and blond as Robb and Margaery mentioned. She had bright blue eyes and a pleasant smile. “It’s nice to meet you finally. I’ve heard a bit about you,” Sam said holding his hand out.

Shella grinned and shook his hand. “I’ve heard quite a bit about you too. The smartest boy in their class and valedictorian too! Very impressive, Doctor Tarly.”

Sam chuckled. “Well it’s all about hard work and always being curious. Anyways you’re just in time. Gilly was just checking on the chicken in the oven. Everything just needs to be put on the table.” Sam led them to the dining table, which was technically in the living room as the apartment only had one large room other than one bedroom, one bathroom, and the kitchen. It had to double as a living room and had just enough room to put a basic table that could seat up to six people. It was just as well they didn’t entertain guests often.

Gilly poked her head out the doorway to the modest sized kitchen. “Hello! I’m glad to see you arrived.” Gilly emerged and quickly walked over and turned to Shella. “I’m Gilly, Sam’s girlfriend,” she said offering her hand out to Shella.

Shella shook her hand. “Nice to meet you, Gilly. I’m Shella.”

Jon held up a bag he had been holding. “I brought some white wine. Wasn’t sure if you had enough, but even if you did I think you’d like this one.”

Sam nodded and took the bag from Jon. “That’s perfect. We don’t have any white wine. I was just going to offer you either red wine we have or maybe beer. I didn’t have enough time to get more wine before I had to come help Gilly here.”

“Oh! Sam! I need help bringing the food out,” Gilly said. “Want to pour the wine, Jon?”

Jon nodded. “That’s fine,” he said before taking the bottle bag from Sam and worked on opening the wine.

It took another five minutes before everything was on the table. Sam started carving into the chicken while conversation began. It was good to get a better understanding of how Jon and Shella met and started dating. After all, Sam had been there when Jon found out about the last serious girlfriend. It broke Jon’s heart what had happened with Ygritte. It put him off dating for a long while.

“It’s very frustrating and tiring at work,” Jon said with a sigh as he sliced his piece of chicken breast. “It feels like we’re getting nowhere in the Flea Bottom Slasher case and innocent people could die if we don’t find out who’s doing this.”

Sam furrowed his eyebrows at this. “I’m sorry to hear that. It’s true that it’s terrible what’s going on with that case, but whoever is doing this can’t be doing it forever. He’ll be stopped one way or another.”

“There’s just been no luck with the DNA registry. Everyone that were matches on the databse were eliminated as suspects after looking into them. There’s some DNA with no matches at all,” Shella explained. “There’s a good chance the no matches might be the killer’s, but it’s too many men in the Crownlands that are over the age of fifty who could be the killer.

Sam looked thoughtfully at this. “You know when people look up their genealogy with DNA, they can have varying degrees of common DNA with people who are in their family. It’s always possible that these no matches you’re dealing with have younger relatives in the database. It’s just a matter of finding relatives with the most common DNA with these mystery suspects and then using other factors to puzzle out who the DNA belongs to. I mean if you look at your own siblings Jon as an example. Rhaenys and Aegon are full siblings so they should have roughly 50% similar DNA. You’re their half brother so you’d only share about 25% of their DNA. Identical twins share the most DNA of course.”

Jon’s eyes widened at Sam’s words. That was true and Jon had forgotten about the lecture when he was studying genetics in biology as well as in his criminal justice classes. “Sam! You might have given us something that could solve the case!”

That one dinner party led to this moment. Sam cleared his throat as he began passing out a sheet to each of the meeting attendees. “As you can see here, we searched for people who share DNA with those that lack a perfect match on the DNA database. Taking into account various criteria such as age and also whether they are likely to have been in the Crownlands recently, I’ve come up with these names on the list.”

Thorne read the names before glancing up. “Are these all the names? What about names that aren’t on whatever criteria you used?”

Sam took a deep breath. “If this list isn’t enough I can provide you with additional names.”

“Why weren’t they also part of the list you just gave us then?” Thorne replied with a slight sneer.

Sam tried not to be too nervous at the man. He was intimidating, though hardly as bad as his own father. “They weren’t included because I thought you’d find it more productive to start doing your investigations on people whose last known address were within reasonable travelling distance of the various crime scenes. Which meant I had to choose not only Crownlanders, but people everywhere in Westeros except for the North and the Iron Islands. There is always a possibility that the killer could be a Northerner or Ironborn, but there’s no evidence to suggest why a person from those regions are likely to come to King’s Landing just to target those women. I only included what other regions I did mainly because I had to take into account the possibility they may have moved or they have relatives in the King’s Landing metropolitan area and would therefore be visiting periodically. As you can see on the list, there’s at least fifty-four individuals for your agents to look into first. There are an additional one hundred thirteen people you can look into as well if this list isn’t enough.”

Sam noticed a slight smirk on Jon’s face after he finished his explanation. He soon focused on Director Mormont who nodded thoughtfully.

“Good work Doctor Tarly. He’s exactly right. This list will have the people who are more likely to be the killer or perhaps has information to break the case. Everyone in this case will start looking into these people. I will however ask that Doctor Tarly to forward me the complete list that way we’ll have the extra names in the event this initial list is insufficient.”

Sam nodded. “Perfectly reasonable.” Sam could only hope Jon and his teammates can solve this.

* * *

Jon was chewing on the pasta with tomato sauce that he was having with Shella for dinner that night. It was a simple meal of chicken, pasta and tomato sauce with a tossed salad. Working together, they managed to make dinner in just half an hour that Friday evening. Ghost was happily chewing on his own food: a mix of dry and wet dog food. Shella immediately cooed at the still growing white dog and Ghost took a liking to Shella too. It didn’t take long for him to flop onto his back begging for a belly rub. Ghost readily jumped onto her lap for hugs and kisses. It was a sad state of affairs when Jon would be jealous of his puppy.

Shella smiled as she chewed on a bite of chicken. Her blond hair glistened in the light and made it look like her hair was pure gold. Her eyes were sparkling with love as she looked at him across the table.

Jon couldn’t help smiling back after swallowing his food. “I like nights like this, you know? Just you, me, and Ghost.”

Ghost looked up at the two of them with his tail wagging. He offered a bark before laying down contentedly.

Shella swallowed her food before speaking. “I know. It feels homey I guess is the word I’m looking for. I enjoy nights with you like this too. It’s nice to go out sometimes, but what matters is that it’s with you.”

Jon took a deep breath. He could do this. He could damn it. “Shella, there’s something important I need to tell you,” he said as calmly as possible.

Shella looked at him with concern. “Is something wrong, Jon?”

Jon sighed. “It’s nothing wrong. It’s just that I have something I need to tell you and I’ve put if off long enough. I just needed to tell the whole story about me and my family.”

“I don’t understand what you mean, Jon,” Shella said with a frown.

“I never introduced you to my family because I just didn’t know the best way to explain that, I’m not just Jon Snow. I mean it’s my legal name, but that’s because my parents weren’t married when they had me. Snow’s my mother’s name,” Jon began. He casually poked some of his pasta before eating it.

“That’s fine. It happens in life that way. Do you get along with your father?” Shella asked.

“Yeah I saw him sometimes when I was younger, but they did get married eventually. I never got my name legally changed, but continuing to use Snow has given me some level of privacy. I’d never get it if I changed my name to match my father’s.” Jon said.

Shella reached out her hand to hold his. “Jon? It’s alright. Just say what you need to say.”

Jon took a deep breath. “I’m a Targaryen. My father is Prince Rhaegar.”

Shella stared at him for what felt like ages. He started feeling nervous. What if he scared her off? Shella calmly placed her fork and knife down on the table by her plate. “Jon? Nothing changes how I think of you. I just wish you were more honest with me sooner.”

Jon sighed. “I’m sorry darling. I just was… I suppose I was scared of how you’d react.”

Shella frowned. “Why would you be scared of how I’d react?”

Jon couldn’t help but think for a moment the many reasons why he had to be cautious of whom he had a romantic relationship with. It was something that his father had warned him and his siblings when they were young. His father had warned them that regardless of how awkward it was, anyone they dated had to be investigated by Director Varys for security reasons. Jon was always too focused on school, and slightly scared off from dating anyone until he was attending university.

Ygritte Archer was a girl he met at his first year philosophy class. He and a couple other classmates were in a study group and often debated about the meanings behind the essays they had to read from all the different philosophers they were studying. Despite the ferocity of their arguments in these debates, Jon found himself falling for her. They had a lot in common: similar tastes in music, movies, sports teams, even which was the best place to get a drink at Oldtown. The one thing that separated them was their family backgrounds. He was the younger son of the Prince of Dragonstone and third in line to the Iron Throne. She was working two part-time jobs to supplement her university expenses and only had a single mother working crazy hours.

Jon and Ygritte were happy, or at least that’s what Jon thought. That was until Varys arranged to speak to him privately one day. While Varys’s primary duty was to run the national security intelligence bureau, he did have some specialized agents whose jobs were to make sure the royal family didn’t have any information leaks that would threaten their reputation. It was one thing if there were embarrassing pictures of someone tripping on the sidewalk. It was another thing if a boyfriend or girlfriend were planning to sell inside information for money. A few threats of prosecution and lawsuits later, Jon had his heart broken.

“I’ve had bad experiences. I’ve had a few first dates, but I only had one serious girlfriend. Turned out she was selling info to those gossip rags. It was too good an opportunity for her to pass up. Selling a couple stories about my family would pay her bills for a month. I understood why she’d need the money, but it hurt me. It also made me angry. I offered to help her out financially. For the sake of her pride, I’d give her the money as a loan for her to pay me back without interest or anything. Instead she decided selling info about me was somehow better,” Jon snorted.

Shella glared at that. “That’s terrible. What kind of person does that to someone they claim to love?”

Jon looked at her. “You’re not upset at me? For not telling you sooner?”

Shella sighed. “I understand why you feel that way.” She reached out to hold his hand. “I’m glad you finally told me though. If we’re going to be serious, we need to be honest about things. If we can’t be honest, then our relationship is based on a weak foundation.”

Jon nodded. “You’re right about that. We have to trust each other. I’m glad you’re fine with all this. It can be overwhelming. I remember when I was a kid I never totally understood it until I was about five. Some of the kids started telling me all sorts of things that they were saying about my mother. That she was a home wrecker and all that stuff.” Thinking about it now still made Jon kind of angry inside that his mother had to endure nasty gossip.

Shella sighed. “I’m sure it was awful at that age.”

Jon sighed before going back to his meal. “I told my mother about it. It made her sad, not because of what they were saying, but how hurt and angry I was. She had a talk with my dad not long afterwards and then I got transferred to Saint Baelor’s Academy. It was weird at first. I went from going to public school to an elite private school where kids from wealthy and powerful families attended. It did help a lot that Robb was in my class though.”

“I’m sure it did,” Shella smiled fondly as she continued eating what was still on her plate.

“My brother and sister were also attending. We didn’t go home together, but we saw each other at school. Rhaenys would sometimes peek in my classroom during her lunch period to see how I was, though I didn’t know until she told me later. Kindergarten and first grade had recess together so I sometimes saw Egg. We didn’t know we were brothers though. I was just some kid in kindergarten, and he was this kid who was a year older and had a lot of boys around him. Their mother was still alive. None of us knew it at the time but her cancer was going to come back the following year,” Jon said sadly.

Shella chewed thoughtfully before speaking again. “Was your stepmother angry? I mean I remember everyone talking about how kind and gracious Princess Elia was. But who ever really knows if famous people are what they appear at times?” she said with a shrug.

“I totally understand. I mean anyone else would have been angry about their husband or wife having an affair. Actually Elia was genuinely kind and understanding. I didn’t realize it at the time until years later when my parents talked about it, but I understand their relationship better. It was just complicated for everyone involved. Still we made it work out as strangely as it might seem,” Jon said before finishing off his dinner.

“Well all that matters is that things worked out for everyone in the family. It shouldn’t matter what strangers think. They’re not the ones that are affected by anything going on,” Shella said. She finished a last bite of food to clean off her plate.

“We’ve been together for almost four months. Do you... do you think we’re ready to meet the parents?” Jon asked cautiously.

Shella smiled. “If you’re ready, I am.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Currently I'm working on chapter 15. It's a bit of a struggle because chapters 15 & 16 are going to be a big game changer type of thing. So I feel a sense that those two chapters will make or break the rest of the story. I suppose I'm leaving everyone reading this intrigued, but but eh... you'll find out why I feel what I do.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter we get some progress with some relationships and an on-going case for Jon finally comes to an end.

Robb clapped his hands and joined the audience in giving the cast a standing ovation at the Dragonpit. He had seen the play twice already, but Margaery was fabulous each and every time. Some might say he was being biased because she was his girlfriend, but all the reviews written up for the play agreed Margaery Tyrell “is a rising star on Mummers’ Row. She’ll be an actor to watch out for.” There were even a couple reviews that said she’ll end up with an Alia award in the near future. Robb hoped so. He had every faith that she’d get it and soon.

Soon the cast disappeared behind the curtain that blocked off the stage from the audience. Everyone were heading to the exits. Some were likely planning to wait at the back entrance for actors to leave and get autographs and selfies. Robb was one of only a handful of people that night with a special backstage pass. Robb wanted to make sure he could escort Margaery home. They talked on the phone at least once a day and he escorted her home almost every night except for Sundays when she only had a matinee performance and Mondays were her day off.

Robb made his way towards the special door that Margaery had showed him weeks ago. He flashed his badge and said hello to one of the security guards, Tomas. Most of the security guards and backstage crew knew Robb by now. It only took a couple minutes to reach Margaery’s dressing room, which she shared with one of her co-stars Sera Cressey. He knocked on the closed door and heard “come in!”

He slowly opened the door and poked his head in. Sera was still in costume, but she was unpinning her hair from the fancy coiffure she had to wear for the play. She was sitting in front of her vanity table. “Hi, Sera,” Robb said.

Sera beamed at him as she turned to him. “Hello Robb. Marge is in the bathroom. She should be coming out in a bit.” As two of the lead actors, Margaery and Sera had a special dressing room with a small private bathroom. There was another similar dressing room for the male leads next door.

Robb nodded and took a seat on the loveseat in the dressing room. It was a fairly basic room that had two vanity tables for each actor to get his or her makeup on and off as needed. He knew from Margaery as well as his own eyes from previous visits that there was hair and makeup done in here as well. Fortunately for this play Margaery and Sera didn’t need wigs so they easily unpinned their hair after the show ended. Also they were capable of taking off the makeup themselves as they didn’t have use special stage makeup. Margaery explained the makeup they were wearing was just like makeup she wore every day except it was a different brand.

He soon heard the familiar humming of his beautiful girlfriend. She beamed at the sight of him as she emerged from the bathroom. “Robb! You’re here,” she said happily. She plopped down next to him on the loveseat. She laid her head on his shoulder as he wrapped an arm around her to pull her close.

“You were fantastic as always darling,” Robb said. He squeezed her close letting her nuzzle him a bit.

“I’m glad you think so. I guess I’m nervous. They’re announcing the Alia nominations tomorrow. There’s been so many rumors that we’re going to be included in a bunch of categories…” Margaery began.

Sera giggled. She had finished fixing her hair. She was still in her costume, but she was going to change in the bathroom since Robb was currently in the dressing room. “She’s worried about whether or not she’ll be nominated for best leading actress in drama.” Sera closed to the door to the bathroom behind her.

“It’ll be great if you’re nominated, but you know you’re still an amazing actress even if you aren’t. You get applause every night and the reviews say how talented you are. You work hard at what you do and everyone that sees you enjoys your performance,” Robb said before kissing the top of her head. He could smell the fruity scent of her shampoo.

Margaery snuggled into his side. “You’re the best boyfriend I could have asked for.”

“I like to think so. But I’m biased. You’re the most wonderful girlfriend I ever hope for. It’s getting late and you need some sleep,” Robb said.

Margaery pulled away to gently run a hand through his curly, auburn hair. “You usually get up a lot earlier than I do. You need your sleep too.”

Robb had to admit he did feel a little tired. “If you’re ready then let’s head off?”

Margaery nodded. She walked over to her vanity table and picked up her handbag. “Good night, Sera!”

“Good night!” replied the muffled voice of Sera Cressey.

Robb and Margaery walked down different hallways with her saying goodnight to different cast members and some of the backstage crew. Soon they made their way to the back exit and there was the familiar shouting of people calling Margaery. Margaery already had a beaming smile. She gamely stopped at random fans nearest the barriers to sign autographs and occasionally did selfies with others.

Robb smiled as he slowly followed her. She was making her way through the usual routine of greeting fans. He sometimes heard a shout of Robb, which resulted in him offering a friendly wave. A few times he was asked to join the selfies. Once the reviews for Margaery’s play started appearing in newspapers, there was quickly interest in her personally as often happened with actors and musicians. It soon became common knowledge that the sister of Senator Willas Tyrell was dating her high school sweetheart, future Northern Senator Robb Stark. The fact they were still a couple for almost seven years impressed a lot of people and touched the hearts of romantics everywhere.

It took almost fifteen minutes, but Robb and Margaery were able to walk the two blocks to the parking garage where Margaery had left her car. They were arm in arm and got into her car. Soon they were on the road heading towards Senators Estates, the colloquial name for the area in outer King’s Landing where many Senators live while Parliament was in session. Some centuries earlier, many high lords had manses built near King’s Landing, which would allow them to live while doing business in the city. Once the constitutional monarchy was formed and Parliament came into being, these manses were permanent home during most days of the year. When Parliament was dismissed for vacation, families left the city in droves.

Margaery lived in the Tyrell manse, which coincidentally was just two blocks from the Stark home. While she had the funds to get an apartment closer to the theater, she found herself accustomed to the conveniences of living in her family home. Living out of the heart of the city allowed her to fully unwind after being in the hustle and bustle of the city. The Tyrells, like the Targaryens, had a staff that took care of the house. Margaery enjoyed the finer things in life and was unashamed of it.

Margaery dropped Robb off in front of the Stark house. The front light was still on. The living room was dimly lit from what he could tell through the lowered shade. Likely his mother was watching the late night news before going to bed.

“Good night darling. I’ll see you Sunday after the matinee?” Robb asked.

Margaery nodded. “Yes. Goodnight, Robb.”

They shared a kiss before Robb left and walked towards the front door. Once he opened the door, he could hear Margaery pulling away. Her car was gone when he closed the door and locked it up for the night.

Robb glanced as saw his mother sitting in his father’s favorite recliner with a quilt on her lap. It sounded like the news was ending when she glanced up at him. “Hello, Robb. Was the audience good this evening?”

Robb nodded. “The audience was good tonight. They were very enthusiastic for the cast. Margaery’s nervous about the Alia announcements tomorrow.”

Catelyn nodded. “They had a segment earlier with one of the theater critics. Symeon Waters said that Margaery is very likely to get a nomination, but it’ll be stiff competition this year.”

Robb dropped his briefcase down on his usual spot for it before sitting on the sofa near the recliner. “She has said she’d be fine with not winning at all just as long as she’s nominated. Margaery might be a dreamer, but she’s realistic enough to know it’s not often an actress as young and new as her would actually win first time around.”

Catelyn turned off the TV as the news broadcast was over. She looked over at her eldest son. “Are you sure you’re ready for Sunday?”

Robb smiled at her. “I think so mother. It sounds kind of crazy to anyone else, but I think she’s the one.”

Catelyn became very serious. “Are you very sure? You haven’t dated many girls and you are both still young.”

Robb sighed. “You do remember I did date other girls than Margaery, right?”

Catelyn rolled her eyes. “You and Margaery separated for two years while you both were at different universities. The physical separation was the only reason why you two stopped dating not because you got ‘bored’ or one of you cheated on the other.”

Robb and Margaery did date other people during those two years apart. However they met up again and found they still had a strong connection. They quickly resumed their relationship and were together still ever since. “That might be true mother, but I think we’re the real deal.”

Catelyn sighed. “If you’re sure dear. I just want you and Margaery to be right and ready. You’re both not even twenty-six. There’s plenty of time.”

“That’s true, but I’m okay with us not going further just yet. We can wait until after I’ve taken my place as Senator. It wouldn’t hurt to at least ask her to marry me,” said Robb. He already had his mother’s engagement ring in his room. It was actually a Stark family heirloom and Robb was excited at the thought of Margaery wearing it.

* * *

Jon had to resist the urge to punch someone. That someone was the police commissioner of King’s Landing himself. Janos Slynt was the top cop of the whole city and had a reputation of being moderately competent at the job. However the few times Jon ever had to deal with the man he came across as a strange combination of smug arrogance and obsequiousness. The latest turn of events related to the Flea Bottom slasher came to a head thanks to Sam’s list of DNA results and some persistence on the part of his team.

The team working on the Slasher case was sitting together in the conference room looking over the list Sam had given to them the previous day at the staff meeting. Edd was the team leader as the most senior of the team members, but everyone pulled their weight.

“Alright lads, Sam Tarly has done a lot of the scientific sifting for us to narrow down a couple million to less than a couple hundred potential persons of interest. He’s nice enough to even order it from the largest percentage of DNA commonality to lowest. So any thoughts?” Edd began the meeting.

Everyone had copies of the list. Sam did a good job listing individuals with the strongest matches to the unidentified DNA from each of the crime scenes. It took a few reviews, but Jon did notice something.

“Actually I do,” Jon said aloud as he carefully spread out the copies of the lists.

“What it is?” Grenn asked curiously. Everyone turned to Jon.

“Well I was looking at all the lists and it seemed to me that whoever is the killer would have relatives on all the lists. At least that’s theory we’re going on by using this DNA near match,” Jon began his explanation.

Everyone nodded. “That’s true,” said Edd Tollett.

“I had to look at the lists a whole bunch of times and then I realized there seems to be certain names popping up on all the lists. I noted those names and when I compared them to some of the family trees that Sam also provided, I realized the family that keeps popping up multiple times is Slynt,” Jon said.

Pyp’s eyes widened. “Slynt? As in the police commissioner of King’s Landing Slynt?”

Jon nodded. “Yep that Slynt. In fact three of the names: Morros, Jothos, and Danos are Police Commissioner Slynt’s children. There are a few more names that appear to be paternal relatives in the Slynt family. There are some others that aren’t related to them so that’s another avenue to look into. However I find it strange that a relative of the police commissioner has DNA around the crime scenes of all these Slasher victims. Especially given the King’s Landing police force had been handling the case for months before it was transferred to us.”

Everyone traded looks at one another. Grenn glared at the lists. “There always were rumors that Slynt was shifty. You know now that I think about it, some of the lead investigators are underlings of Slynt’s.”

“How’d you know that?” Halder asked.

Grenn frowned. “I have a couple friends in the KLMPD. Both of them sergeants. They’ve told me plenty of stories and rumors about some big shot getting extra security details or that lieutenant getting a raise for some unknown reason. There’s never enough proof that anyone is doing shifty stuff, but people still see things going on that don’t add up.”

You think there’s a cover up going on?” Albett Clark said nervously.

“There’s always a chance of that. We’d best tell Mormont about what Jon just said. We should get Slynt in here and interview him fast so he can’t try to hide any possible evidence. Especially if he suspects we know something,” Edd said.

It didn’t take long to convince the Director to have Slynt come in for an interview as soon as possible.

Thorne and Noye were pulled in to do the interview as they had the ranking that Slynt couldn’t ignore. As Section 5 Chief and his deputy respectively, Thorne and Noye were in a ranking position that would demand both fear and respect from the blowhard Slynt that none of the Slasher investigative team had.

The team was allowed to watch the interview and all were collectively annoyed and disgusted with Slynt’s attempts to get out of the situation. It took an hour and threatening to probe his activities along with that of his staff and closest allies in the police hierarchy before he eventually he caved and admitted he was trying to cover up the killer’s identity.

“It was my older brother, Mandos. I was trying to protect him. He’s been ill for years and needs medication, but he goes off and disappears at times. I suspected he had something to do with it, but then I found out for sure after the third girl. There was a pimp who remembered seeing Mandos sniffing around a couple girls after he saw a dealer,” Slynt said.

Slynt was charged with covering up a crime and was to be tried as an accessory to multiple murders. It also led to a new case in which they would start investigating potential corruption in the KLMPD. All these months they investigated for this killer and the culprit wasn’t far from where the victims were. It only took a couple days to locate Mandos. There would be weeks of additional work to make sure Mandos Slynt really was the one who did it, but Jon was confident they not only caught the right suspect, but he can go to trial. So can his brother and probably other cops who not only helped cover Mandos’s tracks, but likely were involved with other shady things.

Tonight, it was a night to celebrate their success. The guys wanted to go drink Friday night and drank they did at Cregan’s. Shella was invited along to celebrate as well as a few other girls she was friends with at the other WIA offices. Shella was as much a part of their team as any special agent. She did a lot of the office support that made it all possible.

Shella smiled and laughed at jokes and stories being traded around the two tables they were able to reserve. Once again they had Shella to thank for thinking of that ahead of time. Shella and Jon headed out at ten o’clock back to his apartment. Jon couldn’t help but be excited to get her back to his place. They were able to flag down a taxi and it only took ten minutes arrive to his place where Ghost was happy to greet them. Jon usually left Ghost alone in the apartment, but his neighbor across the hall was a professional dog walker.

“Oh how sweet he is! Wish I had a dog, but I don’t have time to take care of one,” Shella said with a sigh. She gave Ghost a much appreciated belly rub.

Jon chuckled, “He loves you just as much as if you did own him. I’m surprised he doesn’t follow you home when you leave.”

Shella grinned at that. “He loves you best though. Faithful friend he is.”

Jon led her to the sofa in the living room where Ghost followed them. “Shella, there’s something important I wanted to talk to you about.”

Shella looked at him with some concern. “Is something wrong, Jon?” She reached out to hold his hand.

Jon shook his head. “It’s nothing wrong. I just wanted to ask you something and well I don’t want you to feel like you have to do it. I just wanted to throw the idea out there just so you know, but I was wondering if you’d…” he cleared his throat. “…you’d like to move in with me.”

Shella gasped. “Move in with you?”

Jon grimaced slightly. He knew it. He was rushing into things. They’d been dating less than six months and he’s already asking her to move in. Robb and Margaery weren’t living together due to their family and lifestyles, but that wasn’t going to be forever. Sam and Gilly dated almost a year before they made the move to live together.

Shella blushed a bit. “That’s unexpected. I mean I do appreciate the offer.”

Jon sighed. “I’m sorry. I don’t want you to feel like I’m rushing things. At least I hope you don’t feel that way. It’s just that, I think we’re great together. I just wanted you to know that if you want to or need to, you can move in with me.” He sighed. “I thought I had this worked out better in my head.”

Shella giggled a bit. “Oh Jon, you’re sweet. I wouldn’t mind moving in with you.”

Jon’s eyes widened. He reached out to hug her. “You would?”

Shella leaned into him. “I still have another two months in my lease. I was thinking about renewing it, but if you really mean it… then I’ll let my landlord know I’m going to be moving out instead of renewing.”

Jon gently ran his fingers through her hair. “That’s fine. That’ll give us some time planning out your move here.”

They pulled apart to smile at one another. “Planning already? You are a fast mover there, Jon Snow,” she said teasingly.

Jon stared at her lips before looking into her blue eyes. “Some things are worth chasing after, Shella.” He leaned towards Shella, lips pressing lips warm and soft. Love flowed between them and through them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With some major reluctance, I'm going to be going on another posting hiatus. I was very reluctant to do this, but recent weeks have caused me to do this. I'm just not writing as much as I had been doing a couple months ago. I mostly have to blame myself for that. I've been pretty distracted with other things like watching TV shows and such on my free time instead of writing.
> 
> i mean sure I'm doing this for fun, but it's a matter of personal pride here. I told myself I'd write more and I've done pretty well until the summer started. I've been working on chapter 15 on and off the past couple weeks. As much as I don't want to do another hiatus, I'll be forced to do one regardless. In the meantime you might see "updates" to this story. By updates I mean I might post "Author Announcements" instead of a proper chapter. Aside from working on new chapters, I'm planning on doing some much need editing of the earlier chapters. The author announcements will mostly be about which chapters I've done changes to that you might want to re-read. Thanks for any and all patience you guys have with me.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We get to cheer some wonderful life updates for two couples in the story: Jon/Shella and Robb/Margaery. Please note there is a minor time jump between the "Robbaery" section and the Jon POV.

**FLEABOTTOM SLASHER CAUGHT AT LAST!!!** (Westeros National Post) by Willem Fairmarket

After nearly two years of terror in the streets of Fleabottom in King’s Landing, the infamous killer has finally been arrested due to the intrepid work of Section 5. As the reader may remember, KLMPD had been on the case since the first murder. However once it became clear they were the work of a serial killer, efforts were made to find the culprit. The lack of sufficient evidence pointing towards a suspect and continuing deaths resulted in the case being transferred to WIA. The case was soon transferred to the desk of the elite taskforce Section 5 because of the efforts of District Representative Davos Seaworth.

“The good people of Fleabottom deserve to have a peace of mind that whoever is responsible for these tragic deaths will be stopped. It is a constant pain in the hearts of everyone in this district when these young women were found murdered. Life has not been easy for these victims, and they didn’t deserve to die or to be out on the streets the way they were,” said Representative Seaworth.

WIA Director Mormont is a man who is proud of his agents and their determination to crack the case. “The men and women of the WIA work hard each and every day to investigate and track down the worst of the worst. I want to thank those very agents for their tenacity and most importantly their dedication to justice. We can never bring back those unfortunate young women, but we can only hope that we can give the people they left behind some closure.”

It was shocking to discover that not only did Section 5 determine the prime suspect, but it has led to the largest KLMPD corruption investigation in over a century. The alleged killer has been revealed as the elder brother of Police Commissioner Janos Slynt. This turn of events has opened an anti-corruption investigation of the entire police department during the ten year leadership of Commissioner Slynt. It seems there have been rumors of bribes, favoritism, hiding evidence, and misuse of police resources and personnel. It remains to be seen what will happen to the Police Commissioner, but the final stages of the murder investigation is drawing to a close as the King’s Landing Chief Prosecutor prepares the case again Mandos Slynt.

* * *

Margaery beamed at the engagement ring as it sparkled in the light. She enjoyed jewelry very much, but she appreciated two things about this one. First she appreciated the simplicity of its design. More importantly the big thing she appreciated the most about the ring was that generations of future Mrs. Starks wore the same ring. It was possible there might have been adjustments needed over time, but it touched her that so many women wore the same ring.

“You like the ring? I could have gotten you something original, but it just felt like I had to give you this one. I think it’s a lucky one,” Robb said.

Margaery promptly kissed Robb. “I’m glad you didn’t me another ring. This is perfect. I can’t imagine anything that’s better than this.”

Robb had a wide grin. “I hoped you wouldn’t be disappointed with it, but I had a feeling you might value it as much as my mother and grandmother did.”

Margaery nodded. “Everyone will be shocked when I get to the theater on Tuesday. I’m happy and have nothing to regret or feel badly about.” It was true. She was now engaged with her boyfriend she adored above all other men she had ever met. Despite her fears and the pressure around her, she was shocked beyond belief she was nominated for best leading actress in a drama. “This is the perfect weekend. Getting engaged and getting my first Alia nomination. What a surprise it’ll be for everyone!”

Robb couldn’t help chuckling at that. “I don’t know about that. Everyone has been saying you’d get nominated darling.”

Margaery sighed a bit at that. “It’s sometimes hard to know at times when they’re just saying that to be kind and when they really mean it. I have to admit it was reassuring that everyone really gave me a chance and never made me feel unwelcome.”

Robb smiled at her. “You need to learn to have more faith in your abilities. Besides, you’re going to win eventually. Just keep working hard, darling.”

Margaery nodded. “You’re right, but I can’t help but worry. What if this was all a mistake me doing this? Being an actor… I could have joined grandmother’s company and been a director in training at Highgarden Beauty.”

Robb reached out to hug her. “Just take a deep breath. It’ll be fine.”

Margaery did just that. “You’re right. I’m sorry I must be driving you crazy with my fears.”

Robb gently rubbed her back, running his hand up and down her spine. “I know how you feel, Margaery. You want to achieve something big and you have a lot of expectations in your own mind to live up to. You’re afraid you’re not going to make it. It’s easy to be scared of failing, but it’ll be okay. Focus on now and not the ‘what ifs.’ Just keep at it.”

They separated and smiled at one another. “You’d know something about that, wouldn’t you?”

“I might know just a little bit. Any thoughts on when you want get married, Ms. Tyrell?” Robb asked.

“That’s a discussion for another day. In the meantime, we should have a big dinner with our families to announce it officially soon. It’ll be easier to tell people all at once,” Margaery replied.

Robb nodded and considered it very carefully. “How about we have a celebration for your nomination announcement?”

Margaery smirked at this. “Perfect.”

* * *

Jon couldn’t help but laugh as Pyp and Grenn debated the pros and cons of eating hot dogs with or without ketchup. It was good just to have an evening with friends. He had a small birthday dinner at the Red Keep with his family and respective significant others. Everyone that hadn’t already met Shella met her at the party.

For his friends though, Shella made arrangements to get a private room at The Sword and Shield Tavern. It was an old fashioned tavern at the Blackwater Bay area that served a large variety of different beers and ales. The menu included a mix of popular tavern classics like meat pies to pan seared miso salmon with steamed vegetables. Edd, Pyp, and Grenn were the only ones from work that were invited for his birthday since they were particular friends of his.

Robb, Margaery, and Arya and her boyfriend, Gendry Baratheon, were also there too. Jon couldn’t help but be amused that Arya and Gendry were dating. Gendry was only a year younger than Jon and Robb and was one of Senator Baratheon’s illegitimate children. It was an open secret that Robert had affairs when he was younger and in the early years of his marriage. Gendry happened to be one of those kids from his indiscretions. There were rumors that Robert and Cersei might divorce because of it all, but something happened behind the scenes to keep them together. Not that Jon or anyone else he knew cared about that. It just amused him that Gendry actually had the balls to ask Arya on a date. Or was it the other way around? Bran and Rickon were too young to join in the fun.

Theon, Jeyne, Sam, and Gilly were also there adding to the bit of chaos happening in the room. They were all mingling and sharing stories and laughs all around. He glanced at Shella sitting by his side and resisted the urge to kiss her in front of everyone. This evening was all because of her doing and he couldn’t help but love her all the more for it. She was the one who planned everything and made sure everyone felt welcome and had a good time.

“So have you guys started planning the wedding yet?” Gilly asked Margaery.

Margaery shook her head. “Not really. Just a few general things. I mean we’ve only been engaged a couple months. I think Robb and I are going to be waiting a while for the actual wedding. Probably next year at the earliest, I think.”

Robb took a swig of his Umberland ale. “I think I’d like us to get married and have our honeymoon before I take over the senate seat. So it’s probably sometime next year.”

Jon couldn’t help but be pleased about Robb and Margaery’s engagement. He had known for ages Robb wanted to ask her, but his best friend wasn’t sure when it was the right time to ask her. It was awkward for Jon. He was hardly the best person to ask about that sort of thing given his relationship with Shella was only his second relationship that went past a couple dates. Still he did his best to reassure Robb. Clearly Robb’s and Margaery’s mutually happy faces and being engaged was a sign it all worked out.

“Well we all know who will be the best man, eh?” Sam said with a chuckle. He lifted up his mug of Umberland ale and clinked mugs with Jon.

“He’s making a lot of assumptions that I’ll agree to be the best man,” Jon said teasingly.

Robb jokingly staggered in his chair clutching his hands over his heart. “You wound me, Jon. Cut me straight to the core there.”

Jon smirked at him. “You’ll get over it. You got over your mother always giving me the last peanut butter chocolate chip cookies she bakes.”

Robb narrowed his eyes at that. “She knows those are my favorite and she always gave that last one to you.”

Jon’s grinned widened more. “It’s probably because I told her they are my favorite. They totally are.”

Shella rolled her eyes. “Hey Margaery, do you think we should leave them alone to work out their issues? Maybe a room by themselves?”

Margaery nodded solemnly. “You might just be right there, Shella.”

“Marge!”

“Shella!”

Everyone else was snickering while Theon was outright holding his stomach and pointing at Robb and Jon. Margaery and Shella were smirking and probably would have high-fived each other if they were sitting closer to each other.

“Oh dearest, loveliest Shella Rivers, say you’ll marry me. Your wit is awe inspiring,” Pyp called out to her from the opposite end of the table.

Shella laughed. “I don’t agree to marriage proposals before the fifth date, Pyp.”

Jon narrowed his eyes at Pyp. “Hands off Cunningham! Get your own girlfriend!”

Pyp and Grenn laughed harder. Even Edd smiled, which he didn’t do often enough. “I’m getting close enough though!” Pyp replied back.

Jon was happy when everyone took turns offering him well wishes and toasts. The large birthday cake that Shella ordered for them to eat at the end of the night was fabulous and decadent. Jon never was the kind of person to eat lavishly, but he wasn’t ashamed to admit he made exceptions for pastries of all kinds. Soon enough Jon and Shella returned to the apartment. Ghost was happy to see them return. Jon and Shella left out food for his dinner earlier than normal, but he wouldn’t be hungry at least the rest of the night.

They made their way to the sofa and relaxed after a night of fun. Shella laid her head on his shoulder, while he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “You were amazing, darling. That was a night to remember.”

Jon sensed Shella’s smile. She was officially moved into the apartment in a couple more weeks, but she had been gradually moving some of her things over ever since he asked her to move in with him. All she had left were her clothes, some personal items, and furniture. Only the kitchen appliances were coming with her since Jon only has very basic items like a small coffee maker and a toaster along with a couple pots and pans. Most of the furniture was going to be put away into a storage unit until she could either sell or donate them.

Shella was planning to stay over for the night given how late it was, plus they were going to have a very enjoyable birthday evening together though. Yeah, Jon was eager for that. He tried hard not to think about it too much, but Shella at his side most of the night made it hard.

“I do have something important to give you though Jon,” Shella said.

Jon felt a little disappointed when she got up and walked over to the small overnight bag she left at his apartment earlier before they headed out to The Sword and Shield. She opened the bag and pulled something out that he couldn’t see. She carefully kept it out of sight and returned to his side.

“You didn’t have to give me anything,” Jon said. He was curious about what she wanted to give him.

Shella took a seat while carefully bringing the thing she had hidden slowly revealed. It was something in a sandwich bag. She handed it to him. “I was going to give you something different, but then I found this yesterday.”

Jon looked at it and his eyes widened. It was thin and white and he could see a plus sign on a small window. He quickly turned back to her. “You mean… this is… I…”

Shella’s cheeks grew redder with each second. “I’m not sure how it could have happened. I’ve been taking the pill for ages. I even went to my doctor this morning to get some confirmation and well she said it’s correct. She’s guessing my due date will be in another eight months or so from now.”

Jon swallowed. “I’m sorry that I did this to you. I mean… I can’t imagine you were planning to have a baby now.”

Shella looked at him nervously. “Do you… do you not want to have the baby?”

Jon’s eyes widened and hurried to give her a kiss. “Shella! I’m not saying that at all! If we’re going to have a baby, we’ll find a way to make it work out. I just…” he swallowed. “I’m just worried I’m burdening you with this when you shouldn’t be dealing with having a baby. I can’t imagine you pictured you’d be having a kid a couple years after finishing university.”

Shella had tears in her eyes. She kissed him before looking at him. “It’s all right, Jon. As long as we’re doing this together, then we can do anything.”

Jon nodded. “Let’s do this.” He hugged her again and kissed the top of her blond head. “I guess I know what we’ll do with Sam’s old bedroom then. It could work okay as a nursery.”

“Yeah, I think it could,” Shella murmured.

Jon couldn’t help but think to himself he had a truly unexpected birthday present: fatherhood at age 26. Yet he was surprisingly not afraid or scared stiff about the matter. His whole life he wanted to have family. Back when he was a kid, he only had his mother, with his father occasionally making an appearance. It wasn’t a “normal” family like Robb’s, but he did have two parents and siblings. Now he was starting a family of his own. Maybe he can give his son or daughter a more perfect family he didn’t quite have as a kid.

Jon pulled back and began kissing Shella again. “I love you, Shella” he murmured running a hand through her hair. He could feel her hands too. A celebration to their new found parenthood was in order.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So after a hiatus last week, I've posted a new chapter after all. I'm not going to get into the reasons why. You only need to know I made it happen. I'm not sure about next Sunday, but I'm definitely going to be posting something. It MIGHT be Chapter 14... or it might be a "Chapter 14" which is really an author's announcement about me posting new versions of earlier chapters of the story.
> 
> While I have finished 16 (which is the part 2 game changer plot point) and started a bit of chapter 17, I've also begun re-doing things in Chapter 1. I made some minor corrections, and I'm even writing an EXTRA POV section! When I've posted the updated chapter 1, I'll explain some changes via Author's Announcement.
> 
> On another side note... I keep coming up with MORE ideas for other stories idea. Gah! Why don't the muses leave me alone! Let me finish this one first! AH!


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some progress is made in Jon and Shella's relationship. We also get a new POV and find out what's happening with with that person.

Jon smiled at Shella, who was nervously smoothing the skirts of her dress. She was perfectly dressed in an elegant black dress that was sleeveless and had a modest neckline. Her belly wasn’t quite showing yet, but the doctor estimated she was only three months along. Her hair was in some fancy hairstyle that was mostly pinned up. She wasn’t wearing shoes that had high heels like she normally wore. Shella started complaining how her feet were hurting more than before.

“You’re beautiful and look perfect, love,” he said reassuringly.

Shella looked at him and sighed. “I just want to make sure that I’m okay for this.”

Jon gently took her hand gave it a kiss. “It’ll be fine darling. We’re just doing a family dinner. No announcements or anything will be made for a long time yet.”

Shella sniffled a bit. “Jon, I just worry.”

Jon wrapped an arm around her and gently caressed her face. “What worries you?”

Shella sighed again. “I’m just worried how they’ll react to this baby news. We’ve been dating only for a few months and they didn’t meet until probably a few weeks before we conceived the baby. I have to admit if this wasn’t us, I’d think we’re moving too fast.”

Jon had to admit Shella did have a point. Objectively speaking they had been dating for less than a year. Not only were they living together, but they were now expecting a baby. Their first anniversary of dating would be during her sixth month of pregnancy. Still he couldn’t let her go into this filled with anxiety.

“I understand why you feel that way. However I think that my family will be supportive,” Jon said. “Besides, it’s not like my parents are in a position to be disapproving.”

Shella had to giggle at that. She was well aware that Jon’s mother was also twenty-three years old when she found out she was pregnant with Jon and gave birth to him a year later. “That might be true Jon, but I doubt your mother would appreciate that idea of you and I having a baby at our ages just the same,” she replied.

Jon nodded. “Very rational perspective there, darling. Personally I think the only thing that will really annoy her is that she’s only fifty years old and she’s going to be a grandmother,” he said teasingly.

A car had been ordered for them to arrive at the Red Keep. Shella was surprised at the private car that would take them to the castle. However it was personally reasonable considering that if he and Shella were seen driving to the Red Keep, it would trigger questions as to who they were and why they were going to the castle to begin with. Things would get worse once people eventually figure out Jon Snow was really the elusive and mostly forgotten Prince Jon Targaryen. For a couple still relatively new in their relationship, it was too soon for people to pay attention to their relationship. The complexities and drama surrounding the relationships between Jon’s father with his first wife and Jon’s mother was still in the memories of many people.

The car had tinted windows that made it difficult if not impossible for anyone or more importantly any cameras from being able to see who was riding in it. Jon was pleased not only for his personal freedom. He was also pleased that Shella would be protected from the scrutiny that inevitably would happen as a “royal girlfriend.” The drive wasn’t very long since their apartment wasn’t a long distance from the Red Keep and traffic was surprising light for that time of day. The car drove into the enclosed garage where the royal family would enter and exit vehicles in privacy and safety.

Jon and Shella stepped out as the door opened. A man dressed in security uniform bowed to Jon. “Your Grace, welcome to the Red Keep,” he said solemnly.

Jon tried not to flinch at being addressed so formally. He had spent nearly twenty years recognized as a prince of them realm, but the change in status was still uncomfortable. Perhaps it was the fact that the first few years of his life was spent in the anonymity of normalcy. Or as normal as could be expected for someone with the shadow and stigma of “lovechild” on his head.

“Thank you. Is everyone here yet?” Jon asked as he took Shella’s arm in his and they followed the guard.

“They have, your grace. Everyone is waiting in the private parlor,” the guard replied as he led them to the private elevators. The guard used a keycard with the scanner and he pressed the button to bring the elevator to the underground garage. The elevator arrived after a few seconds and they stepped inside. A button press later, the elevator car moved a couple floors. “Have a pleasant evening,” the guard said after the elevator stopped on the floor they needed to go.

Jon nodded and led Shella down a hallway towards the parlor the guard had told them. Every few yards, there were other guards in uniform stationed in place. They were still and in position ready to run to wherever they were needed in an emergency. “There are a lot of guards here,” Shella said quietly.

“They had to increase the number of guards on staff a few years ago after what happened to the Starks. The king and the Small Council agreed that there needed to be extra security here in the Red Keep,” explained Jon. Jon had to admit that it was a sensible decision given not only was this where his family lived, but the sheer number of people that could be injured or killed while working in the castle was more than Jon wanted to think about. This was on top of the symbolism of fear that would erupt if even the king and the royal family weren’t safe.

Shella nodded. “I have to admit it still feels strange that I’m dating a prince. Yet, you’re not a prince. You’re Jon.”

Jon couldn’t help but smile at that. The rare occasions when people figured out or in the case of some adults, remember the scandal around his birth and youth, it was more than just a little awkward for him. There were kids in school who either ridiculed him for being a “bastard boy” or they try to befriend him for some sort of personal gain. It was the reason why he loved and valued Robb’s friendship so much. Robb was his very first friend: a boy who knew him his entire life.

“Thank you for saying that, darling. It’s hard sometimes who is real and who wants something from me,” Jon sighed. They had walked through a maze of hallways that Jon knew very well from his time visiting in the Red Keep. His father owned and lived in a manse built in Senators Estates. When one of the previous King Aegon’s (possibly Aegon the Unlikely) was Senator Targaryen, he made the decision that he and his fledgling family would be living outside of the Red Keep until he became king. Subsequent Senator Targaryens didn’t follow this practice until Rhaegar. For that reason, Jon was grateful to his father for his choice. Jon wasn’t sure how he’d handle going from living in a modest two bedroom apartment to a large castle.

Shella nodded as she observed their surroundings. She was certainly impressed by the history and the grandeur of the paintings and tapestries hanging on the walls. “It is amazing all this legacy you have though. You know a lot about your family history, Jon.” Shella smiled ruefully. “I don’t know much about mine. I only know my grandparents and a bit about my great-grandparents.”

Jon squeezed her hand. He had met her parents, Harry and Tansy Rivers. They were very pleasant people who had Shella late in life when they were in their early forties. They were very understanding and supportive of their relationship. Jon couldn’t help but feel touched when Harry Rivers told him that he and Tansy believed he’d be able to take care of their only precious daughter.

Jon and Shella arrived at the parlor where he could hear the sound of conversation and the odd laugh. There were four guards standing at the entrance carefully observing anyone in the area. They stood at attention and saluted when they saw Jon approaching with Shella at his side. “Your grace,” they said in unison before stepping aside and allowing them to enter.

The parlor had everyone in the family already there conversing and in a few cases drinking their fair share of wine. His grandparents were dressed in the most intimidating formal wear that Jon had ever seen them wear outside of a state banquet for the Archons of Tyrosh last month. Fortunately Jon wasn’t required to attend state dinners like that, but he certainly saw the pictures on the news and the video after the fact. Jon and Aegon snarked a bit about it the next day. Uncle Viserys wasn’t any better and was probably having his second glass for the evening.

Everyone spotted Jon and Shella as they entered the room. His parents immediately walked to greet them. “Jon, darling!” Lyanna said with a beaming smile. She was wearing a cobalt blue dress that knee length and sleeveless.

Rhaegar had a kind smile and nodded his head. “Perfect timing, Jon. Mr. Porter was just here letting us know dinner will be ready in another ten minutes.”

Jon had a pleasant smile as he squeezed Shella’s hand reassuringly. “That’s good. We were hoping we wouldn’t be late. Traffic was terrible earlier, but it cleared up on our way here.”

“Yes, darling. Best go greet your grandparents. Wouldn’t want your grandfather to be displeased,” Lyanna said.

Jon nodded. The four walked towards the king and queen, who were sitting in the most comfortably chairs in the room. Jon and Shella stood in front of the king and queen. Shella executed a flawless curtsy, while Jon offered a bow that wasn’t too low given his own royal status as their grandson.

Queen Rhaella offered a pleasant smile at the sight of them. His grandmother was always kind, but she often used a pleasant smile regardless of whether she liked you or not. It was her way of not being too rude, but not too friendly either. She liked to make sure she wasn’t placed in a trap. She knew never to let people believe they are her friends or enemies. Even a tea party in her favorite rose garden was a battlefield.

“Hello, Jon,” Queen Rhaella said.

Jon nodded. “Good evening, you Grace.”

The queen frowned slightly. “You are allowed to call grandmother, Jon. I would expect you to know that by now.”

Jon nodded. “You’re right, grandmother.”

The king watched him and Shella examined them carefully. “You look well considering the work you’ve been doing, Jon.” He was always stern every time Jon saw him. “I’ve heard reports of your work from Director Mormont. He has said you have the potential to be director in the future.”

Jon was surprised by this. Apparently so was Viserys. “You wouldn’t really accept him working as an agent, would you father? A prince of the realm? Working as an agent in constant danger?” Viserys asked incredulously.

Rhaegar sighed. “He’s hardly a child, Viserys. Jon is a grown man and he can find a job if he wishes. He’s being productive and doing much good.”

Daenerys cleared her throat. “Perhaps we are also forgetting Jon brought a guest?”

Jon nodded at Daenerys with appreciation. “This is my girlfriend, Shella Rivers. Shella, these are my grandparents, King Aerys and Queen Rhaella.”

The king was silent for a moment before offering her a pleasant smile. “Welcome Ms. Rivers.”

The queen offered a wider smile. “Rhaegar and Lyanna have said you are a lovely young woman and they are certainly right about that. I hope to learn more about you at dinner, my dear.” It was strangely reassuring that Queen Rhaella had a warmer smile for Shella.

Jon could feel Shella feeling more at ease. “Thank you, your grace.”

Mr Porter, the butler, appeared. “Pardon me, your graces. Dinner is ready if you proceed to the dining room.”

King Aerys immediately stood up and offered his wife his arm. “Excellent timing. I look forward to a good meal. I’ve heard the kitchen staff was able to get a large haunch of venison. Haven’t had a good venison in months!”

Everyone followed the king and queen as they headed off to the dining room. Jon squeezed Shella’s hand. “It’ll be fine.”

“I hope so,” was all Shella could say as they joined the procession to dinner.

* * *

Bran had strange dreams at night. That wasn’t to say that other people didn’t have strange dreams. Bran did consider his dreams really weird at times. He wasn’t dumb enough to not realize his dreams were possibly from his powers. It wasn’t easy dealing with his powers since they were rare and he had to be specially trained. It was times like these he was glad of that training. However what didn’t often happen was recurring dreams or dreams that appeared to be connected in some way.

Bran remembered one such dream. He must have been about ten years old. Bran found himself walking down a dimly lit hallway. It was creepy like a horror movie level of creepiness. Bran had no choice really but to continue walking down it. It felt like maybe he was in a hospital of some sort. He had to walk around wheelchairs and even a gurney. He instinctually made a right turn when he reached the end of hall. There was an open door with slightly more light than the hallway. He was being called towards the door.

He could see three people standing around a hospital bed. He couldn’t see who was in the bed, nor could he see who the three people were. He was only certain all three were men. One was an older man with gray hair. The other two had dark brown hair. One was shorter and wore a fancy suit like Robb and Uncle Benjen did when they were at Parliament Hall or the senatorial offices. The taller man wore a leather jacket and tan slacks.

“How is your patient, doctor?” the shorter man asked.

“Still healthy as can be expected. She’s not badly affected all things considered. She should be waking soon from her sleep in a few hours,” the gray haired man answered. Bran now realized he must be a doctor. He had a clipboard and pen which he was using to scribble away notes of some sort.

“How long will she be awake this time?” the shorter man asked.

The doctor paused thoughtfully before replying. “I think a week will be sufficient. I’ll do a few exams and allow her some time to learn some things before letting her rest. It’s been a couple months since she last woke.”

Bran was understandably confused. Why would someone be asleep for so long and then wake up again for a short time before going asleep again? Bran wanted to go closer, but before he could, he heard his alarm clock go off. It was for school.

There were other random dreams and visions he’d get. He’d sometimes see that doctor again doing all sorts of research type stuff, but was otherwise not doing anything terribly interesting. He saw him pouring vials of blood into various beakers and mixing chemicals and things with the blood samples doing who knows what. Bran didn’t bother trying to understand what he was doing with the blood. Probably just testing for things though he had no idea what interested the doctor so much. Then one night when Bran was sleeping, he had a particularly strange dream.

Bran found himself in a darkened room. He turned to see the door behind him. Reaching out, he tries to the turn the knob, but he could feel the door was locked. “It’s only a dream. It’s just a dream. You can get out of here,” Bran mumbled softly to himself.

“Who are you? What are you doing here?” a female voice called out in a mix of surprise and anger.

Bran quickly turned around to find the speaker. “Who are you?” Bran asked nervously. It was impossible to see more than a few feet in front of him.

The girl whoever she was huffed at his question. “I asked you first. You’re the one intruding my room!”

Bran had to admit he’d probably be annoyed if not angry if some strange person showed up in his room. “I’m sorry I didn’t know.” Bran had to admit that he’d never experience any dreams where people could see or talk to him in this way. “I’ll leave then. I’d be unhappy too if I was in your position.”

“Wait! Please don’t go! I… I haven’t talked to a new person like you in a long time.” The girl whoever she was sounded sad and a little panicky.

Bran felt curious about that sudden change of attitude. “Are you sure you want me here? I could leave and you’ll get some peace and quiet,” he said.

“I’m… I’d like company for a little while at least. Even if you are just a dream. It’s better than being alone,” she said.

Bran thought about it for a moment. “Okay. I could stay for a while.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll apologize for any errors. I didn't really do a lot of edits on this chapter before posting. I'll fix any mistakes at some point.
> 
> I've decided to make a bit of a compromise on things as it were. I decided to post this chapter tonight. However I'm definitely going to be skipping on doing another chapter next week. I didn't get as much writing done this week as I intended. I've been terribly distracted with.. you guessed it.. watching videos. It's worse because I discovered Kocowa, which has a LOT of Korean shows subtitled into English that includes shows I can't find on the other website I also go on, Dramafever.
> 
> So far I've done some edits and even wrote an EXTRA section into the chapter. I'll be making some changes to the chapter notes as well as posting a "CHAPTER 15" to let people know what I've done. Also I should I might post another one-shot like I did with "Coffee with a Side of Love." But you'll certainly know if you either subscribe to me as an author or you just follow the Jonsa tag here on AO3. Anyways thanks to everyone for your continued support and patience with me. Seriously, you've really convinced this isn't some nutty stupid thing I'm doing.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some surprising turn of events happening. Trigger Warning! I've updated the tags of this story to reflect a very sad trigger event happening in this chapter.

Varys was in the business of discovering information and secrets. It was literally his job to find out things. One of the mysteries that had been plaguing him for years was the Wyldings. Over the years, his agents or “his little birds” he sometimes referred them as when using coded language, discovered the whereabouts of hideouts, plots, and even a few members of the terrorist group. However the one thing that eluded him most about the Wyldings was that he was never able to find the leaders of the group, particularly the infamous “Lord of Bones.”

Varys considered that in many respects this was his greatest failure. Not only was this a personal insult to his abilities as a spymaster, but the tragic deaths and injuries to so many innocent people did bother him a great deal. His determination to finally end their reign of terror was the only thing that allowed him to sleep at night. After all, he needed plenty of sleep stay sharp.

Today should have been another usual day at the office sorting through the latest bits of information that came in overnight. He had “birds” working around the clock in different locations and gathering info at odd times of the day. Today started as an ordinary day that was until his assistant, Ros Ironwood entered his office.

“Director, we have someone who claims to have information about the Wyldlings,” she said.

Varys felt his eyebrows rise. “Indeed. Well let’s give this potential informant an interview and proceed from there.”

Ros looked concerned. “The thing is sir…”

“Yes, Ros?” Varys asked patiently.

“The thing is sir, this person that wants to talk to you is Ygritte Archer,” Ros explained.

Varys stood up. “Well, all the more reason to interview her. Even if she doesn’t have any meaningful information about the Wyldings, I am obligated to at least hear her out. Besides, if she’s up to something that could be a threat to the royal family, I need to know.”

Ros nodded. “Understood. Shall I bring her in?”

“Yes. If you wouldn’t mind making sure we have plenty of tea and snacks?”

Ros nodded again. “I’ll have Shae bring everything in.”

Varys smiled. “Excellent.” Varys returned to his chair and waited for Ros to return with Ygritte.

Varys didn’t have to wait long as the door opened with a familiar person entering. She was wearing jeans, sneakers, and thin jacket that was clean, but was cheaper quality. “Director Varys,” she said with a slightly husky voice.

“You may have a seat, Ms. Archer,” he said simply. He waited until she sat down in front of him to continue. “I’m a busy man, Ms. Archer. I will hear you out, but I don’t appreciate people wasting my time.”

Ygritte stared at him for a moment before nodding. “Fair enough. I don’t intend to waste your time since I have information plenty would kill for.”

There was a knock at the door. “Come in!” Varys called out.

The door opened and Shae was pushing a small cart with a steam pot of tea, two cups, and a plate of different muffins. “Here you are sir,” Shae said after pushing the tray to an empty spot right next to his desk.

Director Varys smiled at her. “Thank you, Shae. Make sure all the files I need for tomorrow are ready.”

Shae nodded. “No problem,” she said with a smile before closing the door behind her.

Varys patiently poured tea for himself and Ygritte. “Feel free to make your tea as you prefer, Ms. Archer. We regularly get our pastries from this excellent bakery down the street and only five minutes away. Their delivery service is just as excellent as their cakes,” Varys said pleasantly.

Ygritte carefully added a sugar lump and squeezed a small lemon wedge into her tea before taking a sip. She nodded that her tea was just right before she placed the cup down on Varys’s desk. She stared at the man who changed her life in many ways. “I’ve got some important and valuable information. It’s worth killing for.”

Varys couldn’t help smiling. Nicely dramatic of her. “Many can say as much, but that remains to be seen. While I understand you want to negotiate you’ll have to do better than that.”

“Fair enough, but I’m not going to die because you think I’m a liar,” Ygritte replied before taking another sip of her tea.

Varys picked up a small blueberry muffin and casually broke off a small piece and chewed it. He answered after swallowing. “You aren’t necessarily a liar, but you’re hardly sharing information on the most wanted domestic terrorist group for free. Don’t waste both our times and we’ll get what we want from this conversation. So you’ll need to give me something that convinces me we should continue this any further.”

Ygritte looked at him straight in the eye. “I’ll tell you my story since we last spoke.”

Varys took another bite of his muffin and leaned back into his seat. “That’s always a good starting point.”

Ygritte glared at him. “You nearly ruined my life beyond all repair.”

“You are just as responsible for that as anyone could be. You abused your relationship with Prince Jon for personal gain. My job is to scout out threats to Westeros and the royal family. Your actions were a threat to the family’s personal safety and reputation,” Varys replied matter-of-factly before sipping his tea.

Ygritte glared harder. “I needed the money.”

Varys nodded and polished off his muffin. “I told Prince Jon as much when I revealed to him what some of my little birds discovered about what you did. He wasn’t particularly impressed when he told me he offered to financially assist you. However he was grieved about the situation. For his sake I merely threatened prosecution without actually pursuing that path. After all, actually having you arrested would result in unnecessary attention on your relationship, which goes against the purpose of allowing him some chance at privacy.”

Ygritte could have killed someone with the look on her face. “You done lording over me and reminding me of my fuck ups?”

Varys smiled pleasantly. “I’m merely reminding you beware of who you cast blame for your troubles, especially towards the person who can make things very difficult for you.”

Ygritte glared over her cup of tea before placing it back on the desk. She leaned back in her chair staring at Varys. “I transferred schools as you probably know. I found a decent job and finished school. I met someone that was as different from Jon as you could find. He’s from the Vale. A man named Waymar. I was happy with him. At any rate, long story short I met some of his friends. It didn’t take long for me to find out they were part of the Wyldlings. I didn’t want anything to do with them. Then my mother got diagnosed with cancer. The money the Wyldlings promised to give me was something I couldn’t resist,” Ygritte began.

Varys stared at her intently. “Did you participate in any of their attacks?”

Ygritte shook her head. “None of them. I didn’t do anything that got anyone killed. At least not directly at any rate. I was just supposed to pass messages. I’d get money each time I act as messenger. I’ve heard and passed along plenty of things for them.”

Varys nodded. “I’m prepared to hear you out further. What do you want?”

“I want a new identity and a ticket out of Westeros until the Wyldlings are dead or in prison for life with no parole. They’d kill me,” Ygritte said grimly.

“Fair enough, Ms. Archer. I’ll have Shae and Ros handle the arrangements. Now let’s get some details, shall we?” Varys asked.

“I’ll trust you. It’s only because I don’t matter to you, but you are fair even if you are ruthless,” replied Ygritte.

Varys had his assistants clear his schedule the rest of the day and arrange everything that Ygritte wanted. As Ygritte continued talking about what she knew, he felt satisfied this was worth investing.

* * *

Jon was nervously paced in the waiting room. Shella had to go to the emergency room earlier. He couldn’t help thinking back to how things were going with Shella’s pregnancy. He had to admit to himself that he was scared.

Not long after he officially introduced Shella to the royal family and announced she was pregnant, she became very sick. While her doctor had concerns, they were monitoring the situation. Jon was worried the whole time for her. They were optimistic and hopeful about everything with the pregnancy. Jon made sure he went to her doctor’s appointments. It surprised people how interested and enthusiastic he was for fatherhood. However Jon knew early on he wanted to have a family of his own one day. He was inspired when he was young spending time with the Starks. When his parents finally got married, he had more firsthand experience at a family. He wanted to start one of his own. Admittedly Jon hadn’t expected starting a family so early, but it was a blessing of the gods that he wasn’t going to give up.

Jon made sure she didn’t carry heavy things in the office despite his regular tasks at Section 5. “Here, let me get that,” Jon said as he grabbed the box of pantry supplies where the delivery guy left it.

Shella frowned. “I’m pregnant, not a child or a fragile doll.”

Jon adjusted his grip of the box and placed it on her desk. He gently held her face and kissed her. “I just want to make sure you’re okay. You haven’t been feeling well lately.”

Shella smiled at him. “You are too sweet, Jon. But really I’ll be fine!”

“Please, Shella? Let me do something to help you. You’re doing the most important and demanding job,” he said as he gently rubbed her still flat belly.

Afterwards Shella limited her complaining to occasions when Jon insisted on bending down to pick up everything she dropped on the floor. She had to point out she’s still physically capable of doing that simple task for at least a couple more months.

Jon was in the spare bedroom painting the small bookcase he and Shella found at local thrift shop. Shella liked getting things from thrift stores because they were unique items that were treasures worth taking home as she liked to say. Jon had to admit the few things that they purchased were actually unique and added some character to the apartment. It really felt like a home now. The bookcase was sturdy and the right size for the spare room that was going to be the nursery. The paint was faded and chipped in places. After scraping off the old paint, Shella said they should re-paint it a nice sunny yellow. Jon smiled and agreed to do just that.

Jon was putting away the paint when he heard the sound of a dish crashing on the floor and a loud moan. Jon hurried to the kitchen. “Shella!”

Jon somehow managed to call for an ambulance and fifteen agonizing minutes later, they arrived at the hospital with her immediately wheeled in to see the doctors. Jon couldn’t help feeling scared and he could feel his hands still trembling. Shella was on the floor and to make matters worse there was all that blood. Jon didn’t want to think about how much of mess he probably was at the moment.

Shella was panting and sweating on the gurney during the ride to hospital. She shuddered occasionally and tightened her grip on his hand. “Jon…” she moaned in pain.

Jon used a towel to wipe her forehead. “We’re almost at the hospital, darling. Just… just hold onto me, Shella.”

Shella opened her eyes still panting. She looked at him. “Jon… I’m scared,” she said before she felt the pain again. Shella started crying and squeezing his hand tightly.

Jon felt like he was in pain watching and feeling her suffering and fear. “I’m with you all the way, Shella.” He leaned down to kiss her. He resisted the urge to start crying himself. He had to keep it together for her. He’d be completely useless to her if he lost control of himself.

“Jon…?” she said after a couple minutes of suffering.

“Yes, Shella?” Jon murmured to her.

“No matter what happens… I love you, Jon,” Shella said. Her eyes were wide open. Those loving blue eyes stared straight into his grey orbs.

Jon took a deep breath never taking his eyes from her. “Shella… I love you too. It’ll be all right.” It just had to be all right or he’d have no idea what to do.

They arrived at the hospital after what felt like forever. The ambulance stopped and not long after that, the doors opened so the EMTs were able to take Shella to the emergency room. Jon followed along and stayed by her side the entire time. The doctors examined her immediately told Jon they had to take her to surgery. Jon barely remembered leaving her room and pacing in the waiting area.

Robb appeared with Arya at his side. “Jon?”

Jon could feel the tears spilling as he saw his best friend looking at him with worry. “Robb…”

Arya quickly gave Jon a hug. “Jon…” she said sadly.

“Any news?” Robb asked calmly. He pulled Jon closer and talked quietly to give then some privacy.

Jon took a deep breath and wiped his eyes. “They took her to the operating room. I… I don’t know what happened since. I…” Jon took a deep breath. His hands started shaking.

Arya grabbed his hands and held them tight. “Jon… it’ll be all right.”

Robb, Arya, and Jon sat in the waiting area with what seemed like hours. Then a nurse approached. “Mr. Jon Snow?” she asked.

Jon quickly stood up and went to the nurse’s side. “Yes. I’m Jon Snow.”

She nodded. “Please come with me. The doctor needs to talk to you.”

Jon followed her leaving Robb and Arya behind. They reached a doctor who was standing right outside the operating room doors. Jon took a deep breath and turned to the doctor. His ID tag said Doctor Loren Serrett. “How… how is she? How is my Shella?”

The doctor cleared his throat. “I’m sorry, Mr. Snow. I’m afraid Ms. Rivers suffered a miscarriage.”

Jon didn’t know how he was still on his feet. “She… she did…?” Jon could feel his hands shaking again.

The doctor nodded solemnly. “It’s hard to say why it happened. It sadly can happen to anyone, but I’m afraid I have worse news.”

Jon’s heart stopped or it certainly felt like it when the doctor continued. Today was the absolute worst day of his life and he didn’t know how he was going to cope after this.

* * *

Bran sat quietly in the darkened room. Every few days, he would end up dreaming strange dreams. He was convinced they were visions, but whether they were of the past, present, or future, he couldn’t begin to figure out. The visions were often random and he wasn’t sure what they were about at times.

There was one dream where he was in a fancy office somewhere. The short man he had seen before sat in a fancy leather chair and was speaking to the doctor.

“I’ve received word that one of your former patients died,” the man said.

The doctor frowned. “It was very unfortunate and tragic that happened. She should have had a happy, productive life. I am very concerned about the circumstances of her death.”

The small man frowned at this. “Does it threaten our mutual venture?”

The doctor sighed. “Potentially. She died from complications due to miscarriage. Such a situation is extremely rare in Westeros. There will be some investigation into the matter. Such an investigation will always open the potential for things being discovered.”

The small man was displeased. “We’ll have to stop the investigation.”

The doctor replied wryly. “You may be a giant in the financial world, but you have no power in the medical community.”

The small man sighed. “Perhaps there’s another solution to this problem.”

Bran woke up before he could find out what the strange men were planning. In another dream he could see the doctor talking to a woman with long dark hair. The woman made random objects in the room float and fly about. Suddenly she turned and looked straight at him. Her familiar, bright, blue eyes glared at him as she viciously flicked both hands at him. He could feel himself flying through the air suddenly and quickly woke up. He was panting like he’d been running a marathon. It was a strange dream. Was this woman a level five Psi user like him?

Tonight’s dream was different. It didn’t often happen, but he was in the strange room again where he got to talk to that strange girl again.

They didn’t know too much about each other. She was too scared to reveal much about herself.

“Why?” Bran had asked her during one rare dream visit with the girl.

“It’s for your safety. I don’t know if someone can see or hear us in here,” she explained.

“Has anyone else visited you like this? Like I have, I mean,” Bran asked.

“No,” she admitted. “I’m scared just the same. If you could share a dream with me like this, who else could do the same with you or me?”

Bran had to admit she had a good point. Not everyone that could share dreams would be friendly or at least neutral like he and this mystery girl were together. “I’m glad you still let me come visit you like this,” Bran said.

His dream friend giggled a bit. “I have to admit it’s nice having a friend visit me, even if you can only do this once in a while.”

Bran nodded. “It’s nice. It’s different. I have a few friends at school, but they’re not Psi users like me. Well… there’s one friend. Jojen Reed is a level 3 user.”

“Jojen… Reed…?” his friend asked incredulously.

“It’s not a common name I know. But it’s from the North. His family is an old Northern name, like mine is,” he said proudly.

“Wait… you’re Jojen’s friend?” she asked cautiously.

“Yes. He’s a good friend and he’s been one of my Psi mentors. He’s really good with his level 3 powers. I’m still working on it, but I’ve been doing better at it,” Bran continued.

“What’s your name?” she suddenly asked.

Bran furrowed his eyebrows at that. She never wanted to know his name and she had always refused to tell him her name. “My name is Brandon Stark.”

There was a sudden gasp. She nervously spoke then. “Bran?”

Bran frowned. “That’s what my family and friends call me.”

There was a soft sound of bare feet on the tiled floor of this strange mind room that they were in. “I know they do, Bran,” she replied with a teary, wobbly voice.

“What’s the matter?” Bran found himself asking.

She soon emerged from the shadow closer to him where he could see his friend. His eyes widened as he looked at her. “Hello… Bran,” she answered him tearfully.

Bran stared at her wide eyed. “It’s… you?”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah... so that happened. Unfortunately I'm going to do another hiatus next Sunday. I might do what I did last Sunday where I just reposted an earlier chapter with some minor changes and did an author's announcement. I'm still in the very beginning stages of chapter 17, so I don't really feel comfortable only having chapter 16 as a "buffer". So yeah... extra wait time. I'm sure you guys have your guesses as to what the hell is going on. Anyways forgive me if this chapter just wasn't as good as it could be!


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We get some some answers as we have more questions. This is the start of the second half of the story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to confess, the first section is just a modification of a teaser / tester I posted on Tumblr some months ago. This is what really convinced me this story idea wasn't completely stupid when a few people I tagged to get second opinions on wrote back they thought this was an intriguing idea for a JONSA story. The most supportive of all is precisely the person whom I gifted this story to. I can only hope I do justice to the story concept.

Jon wasn’t sure why he agreed to see Sam today. He was still in deep mourning. The funeral was just last month and he wasn’t sure if he would truly to move on from it. It was impossible to imagine even now that she was gone. Both of them were gone: Shella and the baby. Things like this shouldn’t have happened given their advanced medical technology. It was precisely because her death was unusual and rare that the authorities required an autopsy in order to issue her death certificate. Just the same, he couldn’t refuse his old friend. Sam was very insistent that Jon come see him ASAP.

Even though Sam specialized in genetics, not gynecology, he was apparently called in to investigate something related to Shella’s case. Not that Jon could concentrate on Sam’s explanation at the time Sam received the consultation request. It was too much for Jon to deal with.

Before Jon knew it, he was sitting opposite Sam in his friend’s office. The door was shut making sure there was full privacy for them while Sam said whatever it was he deemed so damn important at a time like this.

Sam cleared his throat. “I’m sorry about Shella, Jon. She and the baby. I know you want to grieve, but this is too important to put off any longer.”

Jon sighed and nodded. Sam was always the most emotionally sensitive guy he knew other than his father. Sam genuinely wouldn’t have bothered Jon unless he deemed it very important. “What is it?”

Sam carefully displayed sheets of paper in front of Jon. They were turned towards him so Jon could read them if he chose to. “I’ll try not to get too graphic, but Dr. Serrett called me in to check the baby’s DNA. There were some abnormalities in the baby’s physiology and he wanted me to see if I could find anything that could account for it.”

Jon resisted the urge to start crying again. The doctors allowed him to hold their premature daughter. Shella had already died by that point. While it appeared to be a normal pregnancy, things took a turn and then… then…

“Did you?” Jon asked quietly. “Find anything unusual?”

Sam nodded. “I noticed something unusual in the baby’s results. There were some mutations that caused her heart and other organs to develop abnormally. I’m sorry to say this Jon, but the baby wouldn’t have lived to her due date. Even if she was born alive, she likely wouldn’t have made it past a few days. At least not without extensive organ transplants, which I’m sure you can imagine would be extremely difficult for a newborn.”

Jon swallowed and soon wiped his eyes. So... their child was doomed from the start. They just didn’t realize it. Why did this have to happen? “I…” Jon swallowed the tears that threatened to form again. “I see.”

Sam cleared his throat. “I investigated further to see how the baby ended up with mutations of this nature. I wanted to check if either you or Shella were carriers of any dormant genes that could cause her development problems. There was also a possibility of environmental factors to consider, but I had to dig into all the possibilities. That’s when I discovered something that added to this mystery.”

Jon nodded slowly trying to absorb all this. “What is it?”

Sam carefully pushed one of the papers closer to Jon. “When I was doing a test on Shella’s DNA I noticed some odd things about it. It’s not obvious to most people, but given my research work, I suspect that her DNA has been modified.”

Jon’s eyes glared at this. “What do you mean modified? How is that even possible?!”

Sam took a deep breath. “I’m not going to get into all the details of how I noticed the modifications, but basically there has been research into gene replacement as a way of preventing genetic based disorders from occurring in future generations of children. There are subtle, but noticeable clues that some form of gene replacement occurred. It’s highly experimental and has only been done in subject animals. I had a hard time believing what I was seeing, but the more I looked into Shella’s case, this is the only possible explanation I could think of.”

Jon could practically feel his head spinning trying to accept all this. This couldn’t possibly be real. “When could this have possibly happen?”

Sam wriggled in his chair a bit at this. “I suspect that when Shella was an embryo, her DNA was manipulated in some fashion.”

Jon knew Shella was adopted. She was adopted as an infant by her parents, Myron and Della Rivers. Based on the adoption records they had, her parents didn’t know anything about her background. “I’m guessing you did a search to see if you could find relatives for Shella?” Jon was immediately reminded of what they had done to catch Mandos Slynt months ago.

Sam nodded. “It wasn’t difficult for me at least.”

Jon sighed. “I guess you found her relatives?”

Sam became grim. “I found more than that. I found a very significant DNA match.” He pushed another one of the papers towards Jon.

Jon glanced at the sheet, his eyes widened at the report. “What…?!”

“It says it right there clear as day,” Sam replied.

Jon scanned the top half of the report more carefully. “Shella is related to the Starks and the Tullys?!” He quickly looked back up at his friend.

Sam shook his head at this. “She’s more than just related to both families, Jon.” Sam pointed at the sheet Jon is currently holding. “Jon according to that report, Shella has a 90-something percent DNA match to Sansa Stark. The small percentage of DNA that doesn’t exactly match her is likely the bits that were manipulated.”

Jon froze at this. Sansa was killed in the same accident that killed Senator Stark and left Bran Stark in a coma for months. She was nine years old at the time. Based on what he knew about Shella, she was born about a year after Sansa’s birth. Shella couldn’t have been Sansa’s twin sister even if someone could have stolen a twin baby at birth. He knew perfectly well there was a two year age gap between Sansa and Arya. Ned Stark and his wife Catelyn certainly weren’t expecting again until Arya.

“I… I don’t understand,” Jon could only reply as his mind swirled at this.

Sam cleared his throat. “I couldn’t understand these results either. That is… until I remembered something. I remember while I was in medical school I took a medical ethics class. We had to do a case study about this doctor that was stripped of his license almost twenty years ago. He had been delving into human cloning research. He lost his license and was thrown out of every medical and scientific society you can think of because of it. He more or less disappeared not long after that scandal started dying down.”

Jon stared at his friend incredulously. “Are you suggesting this doctor or even someone else somehow got his hands on Sansa’s DNA and cloned her?” It just couldn’t be possible.

Sam glared at his desk. “That’s what Shella’s test results are saying. The only possible relatives that could have this high level of DNA similarity as Sansa and Shella are identical twins. But the results aren’t consistent with identical twins, and we both know for a fact Sansa never had a twin, identical or otherwise. Given the results of my tests, there’s no other possible conclusion I can make. None that even remotely makes any sense anyway.”

Jon had to think like the agent he was and look at this logically. “How is that even possible?! I thought the only samples taken were at birth and for the DNA registry?”

DNA samples taken after birth were one-time use and could only be taken for the registry and Psi gene testing purposes. All samples had to be used immediately with none retained. Samples had to be taken again if a DNA test was contaminated or inconclusive.

Sam frowned. “Hypothetically speaking?”

Jon nodded. He had to put on his proverbial detective hat.

“The only possible way they could have gotten Sansa’s DNA is… if she’s survived that terrorist attack, Jon.”

Jon stared at Sam. “Why would that be the only possible way?”

Sam swallowed nervously before continuing. “Look I’m not going to bore you with all the details, but basically this doctor was experimenting with the process of cloning organs for people who are desperate for organ replacement.”

Jon nodded. Organ cloning was controversial, but limited use of the process reduced organ rejection and the need for anti-rejection medication for many desperate people that needed organs, but couldn’t find matches. “What kind of experiments was he doing?”

Sam looked disgusted as he continued talking about this doctor. “He was going beyond organ replacement and expanding on creating whole people. He wanted to create clones and then tweak their DNA to better understand mutations and such.”

Jon glared at this. “That’s despicable! What about those human clones he could have created? They are still people! He’s treating them like lab animals or something!”

Sam nodded. “That was precisely why he was punished several years ago. He only managed to do his experiments on rats and such, but it was just too much for the medical and scientific community to condone. He was disbarred from all the medical and science associations in existence. He also lost his medical license, so he can’t be hired by hospitals or legally open his own practice.”

“So what’s convinced you that Sansa is alive?” Jon had to swallow his urge to throw up. Gods… the idea his old friend could still be alive after all these years. Gods… the Starks…

Sam sighed. “Well it’s based on the notes that were retained from his experiments with rats. His experiments required a large amount of DNA in order to not only create the clone, but also be able to manipulate the genes for his research. A standard vial of blood from a typical blood sample would only give him limited amount DNA to work with. Plus not all the genes he needed for his experimentation came from blood samples alone. His notes indicated that most of the attempts at creating viable clones with his process resulted in failure. He had at best one to five percent success depending on the samples taken and other environmental conditions. If he was able to create a clone that became Shella, he would have to obtain a large amount of DNA from Sansa to work with.”

Jon was slowly digesting this. If this mad scientist’s notes indicated a large amount of DNA would be needed to produce just one clone, there really was no other explanation. And yet…

“How can we find out for certain who did this? Whoever is responsible would also need a lab and plenty of money too. Maybe some partner? With Shella dead…” Jon resisted the urge to tear up again.

Sam took a deep breath. “There’s more I have to tell you, Jon.”

Jon stared at Sam again. “What do you mean?”

“When I was running Shella’s sample against the DNA registry, I found other hits in the results. Aside from the obvious results like the Starks and Tullys, and a few other families Sansa would have shared ancestry with… I found other results of high percentage of DNA match. More than ninety percent matches,” Sam replied.

Jon trembled with grief, fury, and confusion. “Are you telling me… there’s another woman out there just like Shella?”

“Jon,” Sam said calmly as possible. “There are  _four_  other women like Shella out there.”

Jon had to resist the urge to faint, but just barely. “Sam…” Jon said hoarsely. “Four other women?”

Sam sighed. “According to these matches, each of these women was born or at least their DNA was submitted into the DNA registry at different points in time from one another.” Sam pointed out the different sheets of paper to Jon.

Jon began reading them aloud. “Alysanne Flowers, age 20. Shiera Waters, age 21. Alayne Stone, age 22. Nissa Sand, age 19. Shella Rivers, age 23.” He put the papers down on the desk.

“Since this doctor used a procedure based on organ replacement cloning, he must have accelerated their embryonic development along with whatever DNA manipulating he did to them. There’s no other way he could have been able to create clones of Sansa so close in age with her. Shella is only a year younger than Sansa should be. Unless they stole a lot of Sansa’s DNA when she was a toddler without anyone knowing it…” Sam said.

In order for there to be five clones of Sansa to exist, there was only one conclusion. Sansa Stark was out there somewhere. Jon wasn’t sure what to do. Worse of all, he didn’t know what to tell poor Catelyn, Robb, Arya, Rickon, and Bran. There was one place to go to first. He had to talk to Shella’s parents and find out the truth.

* * *

Bran was in that dark room again. He could sense she was there somewhere. He had to talk to her. Bran hadn’t seen her in his dreams for at least a month. It was as though she was refusing to see him, but that couldn’t be true. He could feel her joy and sorrow simultaneously when they realized the truth. Just as he was about to speak to her again, she looked about the room they were in and immediately expelled him from their shared dream. He couldn’t help but be worried why she’d do that. She’d never done something like that. All he knew was he could sense her fear and a dark aura approaching them.

“Bran!” he heard a hissed whisper.

Bran looked towards the shadows and saw a familiar shape approaching him. He sighed with relief. “Thank the gods I found you.”

“You foolish boy! You shouldn’t be here. You could get hurt coming back here!” she said fearfully.

Bran reached out and hugged her tightly. “But Sansa! I can’t just leave you! You need to come home!”

Sansa sighed. “Oh Bran…” she said sadly.

Bran immediately patted her back. She held him tightly and they started tearing up before looking at each other. “Where have you been? We thought you were dead!”

Sansa sniffled at his words. “I can’t go home, Bran. I’m not even sure where I am. All I know is they put me in an induced coma sometimes. It’s probably a way to prevent me from fully learning how to use my powers. They only let me move around a few days, then I go sleep and when I wake up, they tell me I’ve been asleep for a couple months.”

Bran glared at that. “That’s why we need to get you out of here and home where you belong! I need tell Robb and Jon! Uncle Benjen too! They can help.”

Sansa’s eyes widen. “You can’t! They’ll get hurt!”

Bran shook his head. “We’re going to get you home one way or another. Jon can help. He’s an agent at WIA. He can do a lot more to help. We just need to know where you are and who has you.”

Sansa stared at him intently. “He is a WIA agent?”

Bran beamed at her. “Yep! He helped solve a big case a few months ago. He’ll save you just like those stories you used to like,” he said with a slight chuckle.

Sansa looked pale then. “Does… Jon have a dog? A white one?”

Bran nodded slowly. “Yes. I didn’t tell you about Ghost, did I?” he asked.

Sansa’s cheeks grew pink and she stared at the ground. “It wasn’t a dream…” she murmured.

Bran was about to ask her what she meant when they heard a noise. “What’s that?”

Sansa’s eyes widened and quickly turned to him. “You have to go and don’t come for a while yet. They can’t know you’ve been here. They’ll be after you if they know,” she said sadly.

“Please Sansa! We’ll save you! You’ll come home and we’ll keep you safe!” Bran said. He just had to convince her to come with him somehow.

Sansa sighed. “No one can protect me. No one can protect anyone. Goodbye Bran.”

Bran felt the familiar sensation of flying as he woke up. He sat up in bed and rubbed his face. After a soft sigh, he got up and headed to the bathroom down the hallway from his dorm room. He had a couple classes today and a term paper to start researching. Tonight though, he had some important phone calls to make. He could only hope they will believe him and not think he was crazy.

* * *

It wasn’t often he would be able to get quiet time to really progress in his work. He spent a large percentage of his days doing work at a small clinic where people didn’t get easy access to basic healthcare. He had to admit there was a great sense of peace doing so even if didn’t help him progress in what remained of his career. The smiles and many thanks he’d received the past few years were what kept him going at times. He wasn’t officially allowed to practice medicine, so he was rather limited with what he could do without being discovered. It was precisely why he appreciated having a patron.

Yes, his patron had very demanding and exacting standards, but that’s precisely why he was a wealthy man. But like any other wealthy man, he had expectations and results had to be produced. Still his patron was smart enough to know that the work being done wasn’t the same as producing tin cans or new cars off a factory assembly line. No, his work was more difficult and intricate.

Settling into his chair, he read over the files which held all his notes from his observations, tests, and even the beginnings of a thesis for his project. There were flaws, but he believed he was better at understanding the many mysteries he was trying to solve. Still it would take many more years to complete all his goals, but still this would be sufficient for the annual progress report to his patron. He was so intent on his work he didn’t notice a guest appearing in the office he was given to do the paper aspect of his research.

“Doctor,” the woman said sternly.

He quickly looked up. “Ah! I didn’t expect you to be here. Was there anything I could help you with?”

She stared at him a moment before arching an eyebrow imperiously at him. “I was told to check in on you and make sure you weren’t doing anything you shouldn’t be.”

He chuckled. “Ah if only you were my assistant instead of our mutual employer’s. We could have achieved a great deal my dear.”

She smirked slightly. “That might be so doctor, but I’m not as interested in science the way you are. I appreciate your consideration.”

He carefully put down his pen. “I suppose this visit is to ensure I’m ready for the presentation next week.”

She nodded. “Are you ready for it?”

He took a deep breath. “Just finalizing my notes and organizing the report in a more cohesive manner. Otherwise yes, I believe I have enough to present. There’s been some progress, but of course a setback as he is well aware of.”

“A setback… that’s what you call it,” she said blandly.

He coughed. “That was… perhaps indelicate of me to call it as such. However for the purposes of science and research, yes it was a setback. On a more personal, human level it’s quite sad that she died… your sister.”

That’s when she glared at him fiercely. “She is **NOT** my sister! We are nothing to each other!” Some of the objects on his desk and all about the room were shaking for a few seconds. It seemed she noticed as well now. She promptly took in a deep breath before continued. “We were not sisters and you know that perfectly well.”

He nodded. “You are correct in many respects. You and she were never sisters. Just like you and the others were never sisters. Still in my overly sentimental heart, you are like my children.”

She narrowed her eyes. “You’re no father to anyone. You’re just a doctor doing what he does best. If this is a family, we’re a sad joke of one. A mockery of that word,” she replied bitterly.

He couldn’t help but feel sad about that in a way. “You’ve done well for yourself despite the circumstances. Aren’t you happy?”

She huffed. “I can’t even answer that question. Happiness for me or anyone else always seemed irrelevant.” She cleared her throat. “Just make sure you show up at the office on time. You know he dislikes people who are late, Dr. Qyburn.”

Qyburn nodded. “Very well. Close the door on your way out, Alayne.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm afraid I have to give you guys some bad news. Now let me reassure you that I have EVERY intention of finishing this story one way or another. However as time has gone on, I find myself having a difficult time writing new chapters. It's partially my old enemy called "streaming videos" distracting me.
> 
> However recently I've had some real world, offline situations happening that have preoccupied me mentally. I won't get into it because you wouldn't be overly interested. One thing is work related and well is something that will eventually be resolved, but that's what happens at work. The other thing is related to my home and well that will eventually be resolved too, but is an annoyance and will be a frustrating few weeks until things go back to normal.
> 
> So what does any of this have to do with this? Basically, I've not gotten as far as I had intended to do regarding Chapter 17. I'm hoping that I will be able to upload Chapter 17 at some point in September, but I can't really promise a regular schedule of chapter posting like I did before. If anyone subscribes to me, you might be seeing a couple random one-shots just so I can show that I'm actually writing stuff. I'm also taking the opportunity to do edits and doing some more planning regarding the direction of the story. I mean I know how the story ends, but still working out the route that gets me there. Thanks for you patience and support by whatever means you can give me.


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